c 


University  of  California  •  Berkeley 
From  the  Bequest 

of 
DOROTHY  K.  THOMAS 


SPANISH  PAPERS. 


PEOPLE'S  EDITION. 


SPANISH    PAPERS 


BY 

WASHINGTON  IRVING. 


EDITED   BY 


PIERRE  M.  IRVING. 


NEW    YORK 

G.   P.  PUTNAM'S    SONS 

182    FIFTH    AVENUE 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  In  the  year  1868,  by 

Q.  P.  PUTNAM  AND  SON, 

In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  for  tl.e  Southern  Die  trie  t  o 
New  York. 


PREFACE  BY  THE  EDITOR. 


LIMITED  edition  of  the  "  Legends  of  the 
Conquest  of  Spain,"  with  which  this  volume 
commences,  was  published  in  1835.  These 
Legends,  consisting  of  the  "  Legend  of  Don  Roder 
ick,"  the  "  Legend  of  the  Subjugation  of  Spain," 
the  "  Legend  of  Count  Julian  and  his  Family," 
formed  No.  III.  of  the  "  Crayon  Miscellany."  For 
the  Chronicles  which  follow  them,  with  the  exception 
of  "  Abderahman  "  and  "  Spanish  Romance,"  which 
have  appeared  in  the  "  Knickerbocker  Magazine/* 
I  have  drawn  upon  the  unpublished  manuscripts  of 
Mr.  Irving,  bequeathed  to  me  by  his  will.  This  por- 
tion of  the  volume  is  illustrative  of  the  wars  be- 
tween the  Spaniards  and  the  Moors,  and  consists  of 
the  "  Legend  of  Pelayo,"  the  "  Chronicle  of  Count 
Fernan  Gonzalez,"  the  most  illustrious  hero  of  his 
epoch,  who  united  the  kingdoms  of  Leon  and  Cas- 
tile ;  and  the  "  Chronicle  of  Fernando  the  Saint,'' 
that  renowned  champion  of  the  faith,  under  whom 
the  greater  part  of  Spain  was  rescued  from  the 
Moors.  I  have  selected  these  themes  from  a  mass  of 
unpublished  manuscript  that  came  into  my  hands  at 


VI       PREFACE  BY  THE  EDITOR. 

the  death  of  Mr.  Irving,  because  they  bore  the  im- 
press of  being  most  nearly,  though  not  fully,  pre- 
pared for  the  press,  and  because  they  had  for  him  a 
special  fascination,  arising  in  part,  perhaps,  from  his 
long  residence  in  that  romantic  country.  "  These  old 
Morisco-Spanish  subjects"  —  is  the  language  of  one 
of  his  published  letters  —  "  have  a  charm  that  makes 
me  content  to  write  about  them  at  half  price.  They 
have  so  much  that  is  high-minded,  and  chivalrous, 
and  quaint,  and  picturesque,  and  at  times  half  comic, 
about  them." 


CONTENTS. 


THE  LEGEND   OF  DON   RODERICK. 

CHAPTER  I.  PAOT 

Of  the  Ancient  Inhabitants  of  Spain.  —  Of  the  Misrule 

of  Witiza  the  Wicked         .  ...      1 

CHAPTER  II. 
The  Rise  of  Don  Roderick.  —  His  Government       .       .      8 

CHAPTER  III. 
Of  the  Loves  of  Roderick  and  the  Princess  Elyata        .      13 

CHAPTER  IV. 
Of  Count  Julian 19 

CHAPTER  V. 
The  Story  of  Florinda 23 

CHAPTER  VI. 
Don  Roderick  receives  an  Extraordinary  Embassy         .      31 

CHAPTER  VII. 
Story  of  the  Marvelous  aud  Portentous  Tower     .        .      85 


Viii  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

BUB 

Count  Julian.  — His  Fortunes  in  Africa.—  He  hears  of 

the  Dishonor  of  his  Child.  —  His  Conduct  thereupon      4i 

CHAPTER  IX. 

Secret  Visit  of  Count  Julian  to  the  Arab  Camp.  —  First 

Expedition  of  Taiic  El  Tuerto         ....      53 

CHAPTER  X. 

Letter  of  Muza  to  the  Caliph.  —  Second  Expedition  of 

Taric  el  Tuerto 58 

• 

CHAPTER  XI. 

Measures  of  Don  Roderick  on  Hearing  of  the  Invasion. — 

Expedition  of  Ataulpho.  —  Vision  of  Taric     .        .      64 

CHAPTER  XII. 
Battle  of  Calpe. —Fate  of  Ataulpho        ....      69 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

Terror  of  the  Country.  —  Roderick  rouses  himself  to 

Arms 76 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

March  of  the  Gothic  Army. — Encampment  on  the 
Banks  of  the  Guadalete.  —  Mysterious  Predictions 
of  a  Palmer.  —  Conduct  of  Pelistes  thereupon  .  82 

CHAPTER  XV. 

Skirmishing  of  the  Armies.  —  Pelistes  and  his  Son.  — 

Pelistes  and  the  Bishop 88 

CHAPTER  XVI. 
Traitorous  Message  of  Count  Julian       .       •  -    •       .93 


CONTENTS.  U. 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

1MB 

Last  Day  of  the  Battle  .       .       .       .    *  .       .       .97 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

The  Field  of  Battle  after  the  Defeat.  —The  Fate  of  Rod- 
erick  108 

ILLUSTRATIONS  OF  THE  FOREGOING  LEGEND. 

The  Tomb  of  Roderick .108 

The  Cave  of  Hercules 109 


LEGEND  OF  THE  SUBJUGATION  OF  SPAIN. 

CHAPTER  L 

Consternation  of  Spain.  —  Conduct  of  the  Conquerors.  — 

Missives  between  Taric  and  Muza    .        .       .       .119 

CHAPTER  II. 

Capture  of  Granada.  —  Subjugation  of  the  Alpuxarra 

Mountains 125 

CHAPTER  III. 

Expedition  of  Magued  against  Cordova.  —  Defense  of 
the  Patriot  Pelistes 132 

CHAPTER  IV. 
Defense  of  the  Convent  of  St.  George  by  Pelistes  .       .    136 

CHAPTER  V. 

Meeting  between  the  Patrid;  Pelistes  and  the  Traitor 

Julian        ...  ,142 


X  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  VI. 

HM 

How  Taric  El  Tuerto  captured  the  City  of  Toledo  through 
the  Aid  of  the  Jews,  and  how  he  found  the  famous 
Talismanic  Table  of  Solomon  ......  lit 

CHAPTER  VII. 

Musa  ben  Nosier. — His  Entrance  into  Spain  an.d  Cap- 
ture of  Carmona 153 

CHAPTER  VIII. 
Muza  marches  against  the  City  of  Seville       ...    158 

CHAPTER  1JL. 
Musa  besieges  the  City  of  Merida 160 

CHAPTER  X. 

Expedition  of  Abdalasis  against  Seville  and  the  "  Land 

ofTadmir." 168 

CHAPTER  XI. 

Muza  arrives  at  Toledo.  —  Interview  between  him  and 
Taric  .......  .  177 

CHAPTER  XII. 

Muza  prosecutes  the  Scheme  of  Conquest.  —  Siege  of 

Saragossa.  — Complete  Subjugation  of  Spain  .       .    18i 

CHAPTER  XHL 

Feud  between  the  Arab  Generals.  —  They  are  summoned 
to  appear  before  the  Caliph  at  Damascus.  —  Recep- 
tion of  Taric  .  .  .  .187 


CONTENTS.  XI 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

MM 

Muza  arrives  at  Damascus.  —  His  Interview  with  the 
Caliph.  —  The  Table  of  Solomon.  —  A  rigorous  Sen- 
tence   193 

CHAPTER  XV. 
Conduct  of  Abdalasis  as  Emir  of  Spain  .        .       •       .198 

CHAPTER  XVI. 
Loves  of  Abdalasis  and  Exilona 203 

CHAPTER  XVII. 
Fate  of  Abdalasis  and  Exilona.  —  Death  of  Muza .       .    208 


LEGEND  OF   COUNT  JULIAN  AND  HIS 
FAMILY. 

Legend  of  Count  Julian  and  his  Family  .        .        .        .217 
Note  to  the  preceding  Legend 232 


THE  LEGEND   OF  PELAYO. 

CHAPTER  I. 

Obscurity  of  the  Ancient  Chronicles.  —  The  Loves  of 
Dona  Lucia  and  the  Duke  Favila.  —  Birth  of  Pe- 
layo,  and  what  happened  thereupon;  His  Early 
Fortunes,  and  his  Tutelage  under  the  veteran  Count 
Grafeses .237 


CHAPTER  II. 

What  happened  to  Pelayo  at  the  Court  of  Witiza  .        .    246 
b 


Xli  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  III. 

FA0I 

How  Pelayo  lived  among  the  Mountains  of  Cantabria.  — 
His  Adventure  with  the  Needy  Hidalgo  of  Gascony 
and  the  Rich  Merchant  of  Bordeaux.  —  Discourse 
of  the  Holy  Hermit 249 

CHAPTER  IV. 

Pilgrimage  of  Pelayo,  and  what  befell  him  on  his  Re- 
turn to  Spain 261 

CHAPTER  V. 
The  Battle  of  Covadonga 268 

CHAPTER   VI. 
Pelayo  becomes  King  of  Leon.  —  His  Death    .        .       .274 


ABDERAHMAN:   FOUNDER    OF    THE    DY- 
NASTY OF  THE  OMMIADES  OF  SPAIN. 

CHAPTER  I. 
Of  the  Youthful  Fortunes  of  Abderahman      ...    279 

CHAPTER  II. 

Landing  of  Abderahman  in  Spain. —  Condition  of  the 

Country .    289 

CHAPTER  III. 

Triumphs  of  Abderahman.  —  The  Palm-tree  which  he 
planted,  and  the  Verses  he  composed  thereupon.  — 
Insurrections.  —  His  Enemies  subdued.  —  Undis- 
puted Sovereign  of  the  Moslems  of  Spain, —  Begins 
the  turnout*  Mosque  m  Ooixiuvu,  —  liis  Death  .  .  2U3 


CONTENTS.  Xlil 


CHRONICLE   OF  FERNAN   GONZALEZ, 
COUNT   OF  CASTILE. 

PAO* 

Introduction  .  313 

CHAPTER  I. 

Installation  of  Fernan  Gonzalez  as  Count  of  Castile.  — 
His  First  Campaign  against  the  Moors.  —  Victory  of 
San  Quirce.  — How  the  Count  disposed  of  the 
Spoils 316 

CHAPTER  II. 

Of  the  Sally  from  Burgos,  and  Surprise  of  the  Castle  of 
Lara.  —  Capitulation  of  the  Town.  —  Visit  to  Al 
fon  so  the  Great,  King  of  Leon 284 

CHAPTER  III. 

Expedition  against  the  Fortress  of  Mugnon.  —  Desperate 
Defense  of  the  Moors.  —  Enterprise  against  Castro 
Xeriz 320 

CHAPTER  IV. 

How  the  Count  of  Castile  and  the  King  of  Leon  make  a 
Triumphant  Foray  into  the  Moorish  Country. — 
Capture  of  Salamanca.  —  Of  the  Challenge  brought 
by  the  Herald,  and  of  the  Count's  Defiance  .  .  329 

CHAPTER  V. 

A.  Night  Assault  upon  the  Castle  of  Carazo.—  The  Moor- 
ish Maiden  who  betrayed  the  Garrison  .  .  •  Ml 

CHAPTER  VI. 

Death  of  Alfonso,  King  of  Leon.  —  The  Moors  deter- 
mined to  strike  a  fresh  Blow  at  the  Count,  who  sum- 


xiv  CONTENTS. 

PAOI 

mons  all  Castile  to  his  Standard.  —  Of  his  Hunt  in 
the  Forest  while  waiting  for  the  Enemy,  and  of  the 
Hermit  that  he  met  with 335 

CHAPTER  VII. 
The  Battle  of  the  Ford  of  Cascajares  .    34f 

CHAPTER   VIII. 

Of  the  Message  sent  by  the  Count  to  Sancho  II.,  King 
of  Navarre,  and  the  Reply.  —  Their  Encounter  in 
Battle  ....  ....  343 

CHAPTER  IX. 

How  the  Count  of  Toulouse  makes  a  Campaign  against 

Castile,  and  how  he  returns  in  his  Coffin  .        .        •    347 

CHAPTER  X. 

How  the  Count  went  to  receive  the  Hand  of  a  Princess, 
and  was  thrown  into  a  Dungeon.  —  Of  the  Stran- 
ger that  visited  him  in  his  Chains,  and  of  the  Ap- 
peal that  he  made  to  the  Princess  for  his  Deliverance  361 

CHAPTER  XL 

Of  the  Meditations  of  the  Princess,  and  their  Result.  — 
Her  Flight  from  the  Prison  with  the  Count,  and 
Perils  of  the  Escape.  —  The  Nuptials  .  .  .351 

CHAPTER  XII. 

K.ing  Garcia  confined  in  Burgos  by  the  Count.  —  The 

Princess  intercedes  for  his  Release    ....    361 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

Of  the  Expedition  against  the  ancient  City  of  5ylo.  — 
The  unwitting  Trespass  of  the  Count  into  a  Con- 
vent, and  his  Compunction  thereupon  .  .  .  363 


CONTENTS.  vt 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

FA3» 

Of  the  Moorish  Host  that  came  up  from  Cordova,  and 
how  the  Count  repaired  to  the  Hermitage  of  San 
Pedro,  and  prayed  for  Success  against  them,  and 
received  Assurance  of  Victory  in  a  Vision.  —  Battle 
of  Hazinas 366 

CHAPTER  XV. 

The  Count  imprisoned  by  the  King  of  Leon.  —  The 
Countess  concerts  his  Escape  —  Leon  and  Castile 
united  by  the  Marriage  of  the  Prince  Ordofio  with 
Urraca,  the  Daughter  of  the  Count  by  his  first  Wife  371 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

Moorish  Incursion  into  Castile.  —  Battle  of  San  Estevan. 
—  Of  Pascual  Vivas  and  the  Miracle  that  befell 
him.  — Death  of  Ordono  III 878 

CIIAPTEPv  XVII. 

King  Sancho  the  Fat.  — Of  the  Homage  he  exacted 
from  Count  Fernan  Gonzalez,  and  of  the  strange 
Bargain  that  he  made  with  him  for  the  Purchase  of 
his  Horse  and  Falcon •  383 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 
Furthei  of  thr  Horse  and  Falcon 389 

CHAPTER  XIX. 
The  Last  Campaign  of  Count  Fernan.  —  His  Death        .    393 


CHRONICLE    OF   FERNANDO   THE   SAINT, 
CHAPTER  I. 

The  Parentage   of   Fernando.  —  Queen  Berenguela. — 
The  Laras.  —  Don  Alvar  conceals  the  Death  of  King 


XVI  CONTENTS 

pioa 

Henry.  —  Mission  of  Queen  Berenguela  to  Alfonso 
IX.  —  She  renounces  the  Crown  of  Castile  in  favor 
of  her  son  Fernando 40J 

CHAPTER  II. 

King  Alfonso  of  Leon  ravages  Castile.  —  Captivity  of 

Don  Alvar.  —  Death  of  tbe  Laras    .        .        .        .408 

CEIAPTER  III. 

Marriage  of  King  Fernando.  —  Campaign  against  the 
Moors. —  Aben  Mohamed,  King  of  Baeza,  declares 
himself  the  Vassal  of  King  Fernando. —  They  march 
to  Jaen.  —  Burning  of  the  Tower.  —  Fernando  com- 
mences the  Building  of  the  Cathedral  at  Toledo  .  413 

CHAPTER  IV. 

As«iassination  of  Aben  Mohamed.  —  His  Head  carried 
as  a  Present  to  Abuilale,  the  Moorish  King  of  Se- 
ville.— Advance  of  the  Christians  into  Andalusia.  — 
Abuilale  purchases  a  Truce 420 

CHAPTER  V. 

Aben  Hud.  —  Abuilale  purchases  another  Year's  Truce. 
—  Fernando  hears  of  the  Death  of  his  Father,  the 
King  of  Leon,  while  pressing  the  Siege  of  Jaen.  — 
He  becomes  Sovereign  of  the  two  Kingdoms  of  Leon 
and  Castile 4M 

CHAPTER  VI. 

Expedition  of  the  Prince  Alonzo  against  the  Moors.  — 
Encamps  on  the  Banks  of  the  Guadalete. — Aben 
Hud  marches  out  from  Xerez  and  gives  Battle.  — 
Prowess  of  Garcia  Perez  de  Vargas.  —  Fight  and 
Pursuit  of  the  Moors.  —  Miracle  of  the  Blessed 
Santiago 427 


CONTENTS.  xvii 

CHAPTER  VII. 

PAGl 

A  bold  Attempt  upon  Cordova,  the  Seat  of  Moorish 

Power 435 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

A  Spy  in  the  Christian  Camp.  —Death  of  Aben  Hud.— 
A  vital  Blow  to  Moslem  .Power.— Surrender  of 
Cordova  to  King  Fernando 435 

CHAPTER  IX. 

Marriage  of  King  Fernando  to  the  Princess  Juana.  — 

Famine  at  Cordova.  —  Don  Alvar  Perez  .        .        .    448 

CHAPTER  X. 

Aben  Alhamar,  Founder  of  the  Alhambra.  —  Fortifies 
Granada  and  makes  it  his  Capital.  —  Attempts  to 
Surprise  the  Castle  of  Martos.  —  Peril  of  the  For- 
tress.—A  Woman's  Stratagem  to  save  it.—  Diego 
Perez,  the  Smasher.  —  Death  of  Count  Alvar  Perez 
de  Castro **• 

CHAPTER  XI. 

Aben  Hudiel,  the  Moorish  King  of  Murcia,  becomes  the 
Vassal  of  King  Fernando.  —  Aben  Alhamar  seeks 
to  drive  the  Christians  out  of  Andalusia.  —  Fernan- 
do takes  the  Field  against  him.  —  Ravages  of  the 
King.  —  His  last  Meeting  with  the  Queen-Mother  .  458 


CHAPTER  XII. 

King  Fernando's  Expedition  to  Andalusia. — Siege  of 
Jaen.  —  Secret  Departure  of  Aben  Alhamar  for  the 
Christian  Camp.  —  He  acknowledges  himself  the 
Vassal  of  the  King,  who  enters  Jaen  in  Triumph  .  465 


XVlll  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

MM 

Axataf,  King  of  Seville,  exasperated  at  the  Submission 
of  the  King  of  Granada.  —  Rejects  the  Propositions 
of  King  Fernando  for  a  Truce.  —  The  latter  is  en- 
couraged by  a  Vision  to  undertake  the  Conquest  of 
the  City  of  Seville.  —  Death  of  Queen  Berenguela. 

—  A  Diplomatic  Marriage 470 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

Investment  of  Seville.  —  All  Spain  aroused  to  Arms. — 
Surrender  of  Alcala  del  Rio.  —  The  Fleet  of  Ad- 
miral Ramon  Bonifaz  advances  up  the  Guadalquivir. 

—  Don  Pelayo  Correa,  Master  of  Santiago.  —  His 
Valorous  Deeds  and  the  Miracles  wrought  in  his 
behalf 475 

CHAPTER  XV. 

King  Fernando  changes  his  Camp.  —  Garci  Perez  and 

the  Seven  Moors 482 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

Of  the  Raft  built  by  the  Moors,  and  how  it  was  boarded 
by  Admiral  Bonifax.  —  Destruction  of  the  Moorish 
Fleet.  —  Succor  from  Africa 488 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

Of  the  Stout  Prior  Ferran  Ruyz,  and  how  he  rescued  his 
Cattle  from  the  Moors.  —  Further  Enterprises  of  the 
Prior,  and  of  the  Ambuscade  into  which  he  Fell  .  492 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

Bravado  of  the  Three  Cavaliers. — Ambush  at  the 
Bridge  over  the  Gnadayra.  —  Desperate  Valor  of 
Garci  Perez.  —  Grand  Attempt  of  Admiral  Bonifaz 
on  the  Bridge  of  Boats.  —  Seville  dismembered  from 
Triana  ...  .498 


CONTENTS.  XIX 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

PAOl 

Investment  of  Triana.  —  Garci  Perez  and  the  Infanzon      504 

CHAPTER   XX. 

Capitulation  of  Seville.  —  Dispersion  of  the  Moorish  In- 
habitants. —  Triumphant  Entry  of  King  Fernando     508 

CHAPTER  XXI. 
Death  of  King  Fernando 514 


SPANISH  ROMANCE. 

Spanish  Romance 519 

Legend  of  Don  Munio  Sancho  de  Hinojosa     .        .        .    523 


PREFACE. 


|EW  events  in  history  have  been  so  original 
and  striking  in  their  main  circumstances, 
and  so  overwhelming  and  enduring  in  their 
consequences,  as  that  of  the  conquest  of  Spain  by  the 
Saracens ;  yet  there  are  few  where  the  motives,  and 
characters,  and  actions  of  the  agents  have  been  en- 
eeloped  in  more  doubts  and  contradiction.  As  in  the 
memorable  story  of  the  "  Fall  of  Troy,"  we  have  to 
make  out,  as  well  as  we  can,  the  veritable  details 
through  the  mists  of  poetic  fiction ;  yet  poetry  has 
so  combined  itself  with,  and  lent  its  magic  coloring  to 
every  fact,  that  to  strip  it  away  would  be  to  reduce 
the  story  to  a  meagre  skeleton  and  rob  it  of  all  its 
charms.  The  storm  of  Moslem  invasion  that  swept 
so  suddenly  over  the  peninsula,  silenced  for  a  tune 
the  faint  voice  of  the  Muse,  and  drove  the  sons  of 
learning  from  their  cells.  The  pen  was  thrown  aside 
to  grasp  the  sword  and  spear,  and  men  were  too 
much  taken  up  with  battling  against  the  evils  which 
beset  them  on  every  side,  to  find  time  or  inclination 
to  record  them. 

When  the  nation  had  recovered  in  some  degree 


PREFACE. 


from  the  effects  of  this  astounding  blow,  or  rather 
had  become  accustomed  to  the  tremendous  reverse 
which  it  produced,  and  sage  men  sought  to  inquire 
and  write  the  particulars,  it  was  too  late  to  ascertain 
them  in  their  exact  verity.  The  gloom  and  mel- 
ancholy that  had  overshadowed  the  land  had  given 
birth  to  a  thousand  superstitious  fancies  ;  the  woes 
and  terrors  of  the  past  were  clothed  with  super- 
natural miracles  and  portents,  and  the  actors  in  the 
fearful  drama  had  already  assumed  the  dubious  char- 
acteristics of  romance.  Or  if  a  writer  from  among 
the  conquerors  undertook  to  touch  upon  the  theme, 
it  was  embellished  with  all  the  wild  extravagances 
of  an  oriental  imagination,  which  afterwards  stole 
into  the  graver  works  of  the  monkish  historians. 

Hence,  the  earliest  chronicles  which  treat  of  the 
downfall  of  Spain,  are  apt  to  be  tinctured  with  those 
saintly  miracles  which  savor  of  the  pious  labors  of 
the  cloister,  or  those  fanciful  fictions  that  betray 
their  Arabian  authors.  Yet  from  these  apocryphal 
sources  the  most  legitimate  and  accredited  Spanish 
histories  have  taken  their  rise,  as  pure  rivers  may  be 
traced  up  to  the  fens  and  mantled  pools  of  a  morass. 
It  is  true,  the  authors,  with  cautious  discrimination, 
have  discarded  those  particulars  too  startling  for 
belief,  and  have  culled  only  such  as,  from  their 
probability  and  congruity,  might  be  safely  recorded 
as  historical  facts  ;  yet,  scarce  one  of  these  but  has 
been  connected  in  the  original  with  some  romantic 
fiction,  and,  even  in  its  divorced  state  bears  traces 
of  its  former  alliance. 


PREFACE.  xxiii 

To  discard,  however,  everything  wild  and  marvel- 
ous in  this  portion  of  Spanish  history,  is  to  discard 
some  of  its  most  beautiful,  instructive,  and  national 
features;  it  is  to  judge  of  Spain  by  the  standard  of 
probability  suited  to  tamer  and  more  prosaic  coun- 
tries. Spain  is  virtually  a  land  of  poetry  and  ro- 
mance, where  every-day  life  partakes  of  adventure, 
and  where  the  least  agitation  or  excitement  carries 
everything  up  into  extravagant  enterprize  and  daring 
exploit.  The  Spaniards,  in  all  ages,  have  been  of 
swelling  and  braggart  spirit,  soaring  in  thought,  pom- 
pous in  word,  and  valiant,  though  vainglorious,  in 
deed.  Their  heroic  aims  have  transcended  the  cooler 
conceptions  of  their  neighbors,  and  their  reckless  dar- 
ing has  borne  them  on  to  achievements  which  prudent 
enterprise  could  never  have  accomplished.  Since 
the  time,  too,  of  the  conquest  and  occupation  of 
their  country  by  the  Arabs,  a  strong  infusion  of 
oriental  magnificence  has  entered  into  the  national 
character,  and  rendered  the  Spaniard  distinct  from 
every  other  nation  of  Europe. 

In  the  following  pages,  therefore,  the  author  has 
ventured  to  dip  more  deeply  into  the  enchanted 
fountains  of  old  Spanish  chronicle  than  has  usually 
been  done  by  those  who,  in  modern  times,  ha,ve 
treated  of  the  eventful  period  of  the  Conquest ;  but 
in  so  doing,  he  trusts  he  will  illustrate  more  fully 
the  character  of  the  people  and  the  times.  He  has 
thought  proper  to  throw  these  records  into  the  form 
of  legends,  not  claiming  for  them  the  authenticity 


XXIV  PREFACE. 

of  sober  history,  yet  giving  nothing  that  has  not 
historical  foundation.  All  the  facts  herein  con- 
tained, however  extravagant  some  of  them  may  be 
deemed,  will  be  found  in  the  works  of  sage  and 
reverend  chroniclers  of  yore,  growing  side  by  side 
with  long-acknowledged  truths,  and  might  be  sup- 
ported by  learned  and  imposing  references  in  the 
margin. 


LEGENDS  OF  THE  CONQUEST  OF 
SPAIN. 


THE  LEGEND  OF  DON  RODERICK,1 


CHAPTER  I. 


Of  the  Ancient  Inhabitants  of  Spain.  —  Of  the  Misrule  of 
Witiza  the  Wicked. 


[PAIN,  or  Iberia  as  it  was  called  in  an- 
cient days,  has  been  a  country  harassed 
from  the  earliest  times  by  the  invader. 
The  Celts,  the  Greeks,  the  Phenicians,  the  Car- 
thaginians, by  turns  or  simultaneously,  infringed  its 
territories,  drove  the  native  Iberians  from  their 
rightful  homes,  and  established  colonies  and 
founded  cities  in  the  land.  It  subsequently  fell 
into  the  all-grasping  power  of  Rome,  remaining 
for  some  time  a  subjugated  province ;  and  when 
that  gigantic  empire  crumbled  into  pieces,  the 
Suevi,  the  Alani,  and  the  Vandals,  those  barba- 
rians of  the  North,  overran  and  ravaged  this  de- 

1  Many  of  the  facts  in  this  legend  are  taken  from  an  old 
ci  ronicle,  written  in  quaint  and  antiquated  Spanish,  and  pro- 
fessing to  be  a  translation  from  the  Arabian  chronicle  of  the 
Moor  Rasis,  by  Mohammed,  a  Moslem  writer,  and  Gil  Perez,  a 
Spanish  priest.  It  is  supposed  to  be  a  piece  of  literary  mosaic 
work,  made  up  from  both  Spanish  and  Arabian  chronicles; 
yet,  from  this  work  most  of  the  Spanish  historians  have  drawn 
their  particulars  relative  to  the  fortunes  of  Don  Roderick. 


2          THE  LEGEND   OF  DON  RODERICK. 

voted  country,  and  portioned  out  the  soil  among 
them. 

Their  sway  was  not  of  long  duration.  In  the 
fifth  century  the  Goths,  who  were  then  the  allies 
of  Rome,  undertook  the  reconquest  of  Iberia,  and 
succeeded,  after  a  desperate  struggle  of  three 
years'  duration.  They  drove  before  them  the  bar- 
barous hordes,  their  predecessors,  intermarried 
and  incorporated  themselves  with  the  original  in- 
habitants, and  founded  a  powerful  and  splendid 
empire,  comprising  the  Iberian  peninsula,  the  an- 
cient Narbonnaise,  afterwards  called  Gallia  Gotica, 
or  Gothic  Gaul,  and  a  part  of  the  African  coast 
called  Tingitania.  A  new  nation  was,  in  a  manner, 
produced  by  this  mixture  of  the  Goths  and 
Iberians.  Sprang  from  a  union  of  warrior  races, 
reared  and  nurtured  amidst  the  din  of  arms,  the 
Gothic  Spaniards,  if  they  may  so  be  termed,  were 
a  warlike,  unquiet,  yet  high-minded  and  heroic 
people.  Their  simple  and  abstemious  habits, 
their  contempt  for  toil  and  suffering,  and  their 
love  of  daring  enterprise,  fitted  them  for  a  soldier's 
life.  So  addicted  were  they  to  war  that,  when 
they  had  no  external  foes  to  contend  with,  they 
fought  with  one  another ;  and,  when  engaged  in 
battle,  says  an  old  chronicler,  the  very  thunders 
and  lightnings  of  heaven  could  not  separate  them.1 

For  two  centuries  and  a  half  the  Gothic  power 
remained  unshaken,  and  the  sceptre  was  wielded 
by  twenty-five  successive  kings.  The  crown  was 
elective,  in  a  council  of  palatines,  composed  of 

i  Fiorain,  de  Ocampo,  lib.  3,  c.  12.  Justin,  Abrev.  Trog 
Pomp.,  lib.  44.  Bleda,  Cronica,  lib.  2,  c.  3. 


E  LEGEND    OF  DON  RODERICK.          3 

the  bishops  and  nobles,  who,  while  they  swore 
allegiance  to  the  newly  made  sovereign,  bound 
him  by  a  reciprocal  oath  to  be  faithful  to  his  trust 
Their  choice  was  made  from  among  the  people, 
subject  only  to  one  condition,  that  the  king  should 
be  of  pure  Gothic  blood.  But  though  the  crown 
was  elective  in  principle,  it  gradually  became  hered- 
itary from  usage,  and  the  power  of  the  sovereign 
grew  to  be  almost  absolute.  The  king  was  com- 
mander-in-chief  of  the  armies  ;  the  whole  patronage 
of  the  kingdom  was  in  his  hands  ;  he  summoned 
and  dissolved  the  national  councils  ;  he  made  and 
revoked  laws  according  to  his  pleasure ;  and, 
having  ecclesiastical  supremacy,  he  exercised  a 
sway  even  over  the  consciences  of  his  subjects. 

The  Goths,  at  the  time  of  their  inroad,  were 
stout  adherents  of  the  Arian  doctrines  ;  but  after 
a  time  they  embraced  the  Catholic  faith,  which 
was  maintained  by  the  native  Spaniards  free  from 
many  of  the  gross  superstitions  of  the  Church  at 
Rome,  and  this  unity  of  faith  contributed  more 
thap  anything  else  to  blend  and  harmonize  the 
two  races  into  one.  The  bishops  and  other  clergy 
wer*  exemplary  in  their  lives,  and  aided  to  pro- 
mote the  influence  of  the  laws  and  maintain  the 
authority  of  the  state.  The  fruits  of  regular  and 
secure  government  were  manifest  in  the  advance- 
ment of  agriculture,  commerce,  and  the  peaceful 
arts.;  and  in  the  increase  of  wealth,  of  luxury, 
and  refinement ;  but  there  was  a  gradual  decline 
of  the  simple,  hardy,  and  warlike  habits  that  had 
distinguished  the  nation  in  its  semi-barbarong 
days. 


4     THE  LEGEND  OF  DON  RODERICK 

Such  was  the  state  of  Spain  when,  in  the  year 
of  Redemption  701,  Witiza  was  elected  to  tho 
Gothic  throne.  The  beginning  of  his  reign  gave 
promise  of  happy  days  to  Spain.  He  redressed 
grievances,  moderated  the  tributes  of  his  subjects, 
and  conducted  himself  with  mingted  mildness  and 
energy  in  the  administration  of  the  laws.  In  a 
little  while,  however,  he  threw  off  the  mask,  and 
showed  himself  in  his  true  nature — cruel  and 
luxurious. 

Two  of  his  relatives,  sons  of  a  preceding  king, 
awakened  his  jealousy  for  the  security  of  his 
throne.  One  of  them,  named  Favila,  Duke  of 
Cantabria,  he  put  to  death,  and  would  have  in- 
flicted the  same  fate  upon  his  son  Pelayo,  but 
that  the  youth  was  beyond  his  reach,  being  pre- 
served by  Providence  for  the  future  salvation  of 
Spam.  The  other  object  of  his  suspicion  was 
Theodofredo,  who  lived  retired  from  court.  The 
violence  of  Witiza  reached  him  even  in  his  retire- 
ment. His  eyes  were  put  out,  and  he  was  im- 
mured within  a  castle  at  Cordova.  Roderick,  the 
youthful  son  of  Theodofredo,  escaped  to  Italy, 
where  he  received  protection  from  the  Romans. 

Witiza,  now  considering  himself  secure  upon 
the  throne,  gave  the  reins  to  his  licentious  passions, 
and  soon,  by  his  tyranny  and  sensuality,  acquired 
the  appellation  of  Witiza  the  Wicked.  Despising 
the  old  Gothic  continence,  and  yielding  to  the 
example  of  the  sect  of  Mahomet,  which  suited 
his  lascivious  temperament,  he  indulged  in  a 
plurality  of  wives  and  concubines,  encouraging 
his  subjects  to  do  the  same.  Nay,  he  even  sought 


THE  LEGEND   OF  DON  RODERICK.  5 

to  gain  the  sanction  of  the  Church  to  his  excesses, 
promulgating  a  law  by  which  the  clergy  were  re- 
leased from  their  vows  of  celibacy,  and  permitted 
to  marry  and  to  entertain  paramours. 

The  sovereign  Pontiff  Constantino  threatened 
to  depose  and  excommunicate  him,  unless  he 
abrogated  this  licentious  law ;  but  Witiza  set  him 
at  defiance,  threatening,  like  his  Gothic  predecessor 
Alaric,  to  assail  the  eternal  city  with  his  troops, 
and  make  spoil  of  her  accumulated  treasures.1 
"  We  will  adorn  our  damsels,"  said  he,  "  with  the 
jewels  of  Rome,  and  replenish  our  coffers  from 
the  mint  of  St.  Peter." 

Some  of  the  clergy  opposed  themselves  to  the 
innovating  spirit  of  the  monarch,  and  endeavored 
from  the  pulpits  to  rally  the  people  to  the  pure 
doctrines  of  their  faith  ;  but  they  were  deposed 
from  their  sacred  office,  and  banished  as  seditious 
mischief-makers.  The  church  of  Toledo  continued 
refractory;  the  Archbishop  Sindaredo,  it  is  true, 
was  disposed  to  accommodate  himself  to  the  cor- 
ruptions of  the  times,  but  the  prebendaries  battled 
intrepidly  against  the  new  laws  of  the  monarch, 
and  stood  manfully  in  defense  of  their  vows  of 
chastity.  "  Since  the  church  of  Toledo  will  not 
yield  itself  to  our  will,"  said  Witiza,  "  it  shall  have 
two  husbands."  So  saying,  he  appointed  his  own 
brother  Oppas,  at  that  time  archbishop  of  Seville, 
to  take  a  seat  with  Sindaredo  in  the  episcopal 
chair  of  Toledo,  and  made  him  primate  of  Spain. 
He  was  a  priest  after  his  own  heart,  and  seconded 
Him  in  all  his  profligate  abuses.  ' 

1  Chron.  de  Luitprando,  709.     Abarca,  Anales  de  Aragon 
jel  Mahometismo,  fol.  5). 


6  THE  LEGEND   OF  DON  RODERICK. 

It  was  in  vain  the  denunciations  of  the  Chinch 
were  fulminated  from  the  chair  of  St.  Peter. 
Witiza  threw  off  all  allegiance  to  the  Roman 
Pontiff,  threatening  with  pain  of  death  those  who 
should  obey  the  papal  mandates.  "  We  will  suffer 
no  foreign  ecclesiastic,  with  triple  crown,"  said  he, 
"  to  domineer  over  our  dominions." 

The  Jews  had  been  banished  from  the  country 
during  the  preceding  reign,  but  Witiza  permitted 
them  to  return,  and  even  bestowed  upon  their 
synagogues  privileges  of  which  he  had  despoiled 
the  churches.  The  children  of  Israel,  when  scat- 
tered throughout  the  earth  by  the  fall  of  Jerusalem, 
had  carried  with  them  into  other  lands  the  gainful 
arcana  of  traffic,  and  were  especially  noted  as 
opulent  money-changers,  and  curious  dealers  in 
gold  and  silver  and  precious  stones ;  on  this  occa- 
sion, therefore,  they  were  enabled,  it  is  said,  to 
repay  the  monarch  for  his  protection  by  bags  of 
money,  and  caskets  of  sparkling  gems,  the  rich 
product  of  their  oriental  commerce. 

The  kingdom  at  this  time  enjoyed  external 
peace,  but  there  were  symptoms  of  internal  discon- 
tent. Witiza  took  the  alarm ;  he  remembered  the 
ancient  turbulence  of  the  nation  and  its  proneness 
to  internal  feuds.  Issuing  secret  orders,  there- 
fore, in  all  directions,  he  dismantled  most  of  the 
cities,  and  demolished  the  castles  and  fortresses 
that  might  serve  as  rallying  points  for  the  factious. 
He  disarmed  the  people  also,  and  converted  the 
weapons  of  war  into  the  implements  of  peace 
It  seemed,  in  fact,  as  if  the  millennium  were 
dawning  upon  the  land  ;  for  the  sword  was  1  eaten 


THE  LEGEND  OF  DON  RODERICK.    7 

into  a  ploughshare,  and  the  spear  into  a  pruning- 
hook. 

While  thus  the  ancient  martial  fire  of  the  nation 
was  extinguished,  its  morals  likewise  were  cor- 
rupted. The  altars  were  abandoned,  the  churches 
closed,  wide  disorder  and  sensuality  prevailed 
throughout  the  land,  so  that,  according  to  the  old 
chroniclers,  within  the  compass  of  a  few  short 
years,  "  Witiza  the  Wicked  taught  all  Spain  to 
sin." 


CHAPTER  II. 

The  Rise  of  Don  Roderick.  —  His  Government. 

|OE  to  the  ruler  who  founds  his  hope  of 
sway  on  the  weakness  or  corruption  of 
the  people.  The  very  measures  taken 
by  Witiza  to  perpetuate  his  power  ensured  his 
downfall.  While  the  whole  nation,  under  his  li- 
centious rule,  was  sinking  into  vice  and  effemina- 
cy, and  the  arm  of  war  was  unstrung,  the  youth- 
ful Roderick,  son  of  Theodofredo,  was  training  up 
for  action  in  the  stern  but  wholesome  school  of 
adversity.  He  instructed  himself  in  the  use  of 
arms ;  became  adroit  and  vigorous  by  varied  ex- 
ercises :  learned  to  despise  all  danger,  and  in- 
ured himself  to  hunger  and  watchfulness  and  the 
rigor  of  the  seasons. 

His  merits  and  misfortunes  procured  him  many 
friends  among  the  Romans ;  and  when,  being 
arrived  at  a  fitting  age,  he  undertook  to  revenge 
the  wrongs  of  his  father  and  his  kindred,  a  host 
of  brave  and  hardy  soldiers  flocked  to  his  stan* 
dard.  With  these  he  made  his  sudden  appearance 
in  Spain.  The  friends  of  his  house  and  the 
disaffected  of  all  classes  hastened  to  join  him, 
and  he  advanced  rapidly  and  without  opposition, 
through  an  unarmed  and  enervated  land. 


THE  LEGEND   OF  DON  RODERICK.          9 

Witiza  saw  too  late  the  evil  he  had  brought 
upon  himself.  He  made  a  hasty  levy,  and  took 
the  field  with  a  scantily  equipped  and  undisciplined 
host,  but  was  easily  routed  and  made  prisoner, 
and  the  whole  kingdom  submitted  to  Don  Rod- 
erick. 

The  ancient  city  of  Toledo,  the  royal  residence 
of  the  Gothic  kings,  was  the  scene  of  high  fes- 
tivity and  solemn  ceremonial  on  the  coronation 
of  the  victor.  Wh ether  he  was  elected  to  the 
throne  according  to  the  Gothic  usage,  or  seized 
it  by  the  right  of  conquest,  is  a  matter  of  dispute 
among  historians,  but  all  agree  that  the  nation 
submitted  cheerfully  to  his  sway,  and  looked  for- 
ward to  prosperity  and  happiness  under  their 
newly  elevated  monarch.  His  appearance  and 
character  seemed  to  justify  the  anticipation.  He 
was  in  the  splendor  of  youth,  and  of  a  majestic 
presence.  His  soul  was  bold  and  daring,  and  el- 
evated by  lofty  desires.  He  had  a  sagacity  that 
penetrated  the  thoughts  of  men,  and  a  magnifi- 
cent spirit  that  won  all  hearts.  Such  is  the  pic- 
ture which  ancient  writers  give  of  Don  Roderick, 
when,  with  all  the  stern  and  simple  virtues  un- 
impaired, which  he  had  acquired  in  adversity  and 
exile,  and  flushed  with  the  triumph  of  a  pious 
revenge,  he  ascended  the  Gothic  throne. 

Prosperity,  however,  is  the  real  touchstone  of 
the  human  heart ;  no  sooner  did  Roderick  find 
himself  in  possession  of  the  crown,  than  the  love 
of  power  and  the  jealousy  of  rule  were  awakened 
ri  his  breast.  His  first  measure  was  against 
Witiza  who  was  brought  in  chains  into  his  pres- 


10         THE  LEGEND   OF  DON  RODERICK. 

ence.  Roderick  beheld  the  captive  monarch  with 
iin  unpitying  eye,  remembering  only  his  wrongs 
and  cruelties  to  his  father.  "  Let  the  evils  he 
has  inflicted  on  others  be  visited  upon  his  own 
head,"  said  he;  "as  he  did  unto  Theodofredo, 
even  so  be  it  done  unto  him."  So  the  eyes  of 
Witiza  were  put  out,  and  he  was  thrown  into  the 
same  dungeon  at  Cordova  in  which  Theodofredo 
had  languished.  There  he  passed  the  brief  rem- 
nant of  his  days  in  perpetual  darkness,  a  prey  to 
wretchedness  and  remorse. 

Roderick  now  cast  an  uneasy  and  suspicious 
eye  upon  Evan  and  Siseburto,  the  two  sons  of 
Witiza.  Fearful  lest  they  should  foment  some 
secret  rebellion,  he  banished  them  the  kingdom. 
They  took  refuge  in  the  Spanish  dominions  in 
Africa,  where  they  were  received  and  harbored 
by  Requila,  governor  of  Tangier,  out  of  grat- 
itude for  favors  which  he  had  received  from  their 
late  father.  There  they  remained,  to  brood  over 
their  fallen  fortunes,  and  to  aid  in  working  out 
the  future  woes  of  Spain. 

Their  uncle  Oppas,  bishop  of  Seville,  who  had 
been  made  copartner,  by  "Witiza,  in  the  archi- 
episcopal  chair  at  Toledo,  would  have  likewise 
fallen  under  the  suspicion  of  the  king;  but  he 
was  a  man  of  consummate  art,  and  vast  exterior 
sanctity,  and  won  upon  the  good  graces  of  the 
monarch.  He  was  suffered,  therefore,  to  retain 
his  sacred  office  at  Seville  ;  but  the  see  of  To- 
ledo was  given  in  charge  to  the  venerable  Urbino, 
and  the  law  of  Witiza  was  revoked  that  dis- 
pensed the  clergy  from  their  vows  of  celibacy. 


THE  LEGEND  OF  DON  RODERICK.        11 

The  jealousy  of  Roderick  for  the  security  of 
his  crown  was  soon  again  aroused,  and  his  meas- 
ures were  prompt  and  severe.  Having  been  in- 
formed that  the  governors  of  certain  castles  and 
fortresses  in  Castile  and  Andalusia  had  conspired 
against  him,  he  caused  them  to  be  put  to  death 
and  their  strongholds  to  be  demolished.  He  now 
went  on  to  imitate  the  pernicious  policy  of  his 
predecessor,  throwing  down  walls  and  towers, 
disarming  the  people,  and  thus  incapacitating 
them  from  rebellion.  A  few  cities  were  permit- 
ted to  retain  their  fortifications,  but  these  were 
intrusted  to  alcaids  in  whom  he  had  especial 
confidence  ;  the  greater  part  of  the  kingdom  was 
left  defenseless  ;  the  nobles,  who  had  been  roused 
to  temporary  manhood  during  the  recent  stir  of 
war,  sunk  back  into  the  inglorious  state  of  inac- 
tion which  had  disgraced  them  during  the  reign 
of  Witiza  —  passing  their  time  in  feasting  and 
dancing  to  the  sound  of  loose  and  wanton  min- 
strelsy.1 It  was  scarcely  possible  to  recognize 
in  these  idle  wassailers  and  soft  voluptuaries  the 
descendants  of  the  stern  and  frugal  warriors  of 
the  frozen  North  —  who  had  braved  flood  and 
mountain,  and  heat  and  cold,  and  had  battled 
their  way  to  empire  across  half  a  world  in  arms. 

They  surrounded  their  youthful  monarch,  it  is 
true,  with  a  blaze  of  military  pomp.  Nothing 
could  surpass  the  splendor  of  their  arms,  which 
were  embossed  and  enameled,  and  enriched  with 
gold  and  jewels  and  curious  devices;  nothing 
could  be  more  gallant  and  glorious  than  their 
1  Mariana,  Hist.  Esp.,  lib.  6,  c.  21. 


12        THE  LEGEND   OF  DON  RODERICK. 

array  ;  it  was  all  plume  and  banner  and  silken 
pageantry,  the  gorgeous  trappings  for  tilt  and 
tourney  and  courtly  revel;  but  the  iron  soul  of 
war  was  wanting. 

How  rare  it  is  to  learn  wisdom  from  the  mis- 
fortunes of  others.  With  the  fate  of  Witiza  full 
before  his  eyes,  Don  Roderick  indulged  in  the 
game  pernicious  errors,  and  was  doomed,  in  like 
manner,  to  prepare  the  way  for  his  own  perdi- 
tion. 


CHAPTER   III. 

Of  the  Loves  of  Roderick  and  the  Princess  Elyata. 

|S  yet  the  heart  of  Roderick,  occupied  by 
the  struggles  of  his  early  life,  by  war- 
like enterprises,  and  by  the  inquietudes 
of  newly-gotten  power,  had  been  insensible  to  the 
charms  of  women ;  but  in  the  present  voluptuous 
calm  the  amorous  propensities  of  his  nature  as- 
sumed their  sway.  There  are  divers  accounts  of 
the  youthful  beauty  who  first  found  favor  in  his 
eyes,  and  was  elevated  by  him  to  the  throne. 
We  follow  in  our  legend  the  details  of  an  Ara- 
bian chronicler,1  authenticated  by  a  Spanish  poet.2 
Let  those  who  dispute  our  facts  produce  better 
authority  for  their  contradiction. 

Among  the  few  fortified  places  that  had  not 
been  dismantled  by  Don  Roderick  was  the  an- 
cient city  of  De"nia,  situated  on  the  Mediterranean 
coast,  and  defended  on  a  rock-built  castle  that 
overlooked  the  sea. 

The  alcaide  of  the  castle,  with  many  of  the 
people  of  Denia,  was  one  day  on  his  knees  in  tho 
chapel,  imploring  the  Virgin  to  allay  a  tempest 
which  was  strewing  the  coast  with  wrecks,  when 

1  Perdida  de  Espana,  por  Abulcacim   Tarif  Abentarique, 
lib.  1. 
a  Lope  de  Vega. 


14         THE  LEGEND   OF  DON  RODERICK. 

a  sentinel  brought  word  that  a  Moorish  cruiser 
was  standing  for  the  land.  The  alcaide  gave 
orders  to  ring  the  alarm-bells,  light  signal-fires  on 
the  hill-tops,  and  rouse  the  country,  for  the  coast 
was  subject  to  cruel  maraudings  from  the  Barbary 
cruisers. 

In  a  little  while  the  horsemen  of  the  neighbor- 
hood were  seen  pricking  along  the  beach,  armed 
with  such  weapons  as  they  could  find,  and  the 
alcaide  and  his  scanty  garrison  descended  from 
the  hill.  In  the  mean  time  the  Moorish  bark 
came  rolling  and  pitching  towards  the  land.  As 
it  drew  near,  the  rich  carving  and  gilding  witli 
which  it  was  decorated,  its  silken  baudaroles  and 
banks  of  crimson  oars,  showed  it  to  be  no  warlike 
vessel,  but  a  sumptuous  galiot  destined  for  state 
and  ceremony.  It  bore  the  marks  of  the  tem- 
pest ;  the  masts  were  broken,  the  oars  shattered, 
and  fragments  of  snowy  sails  and  silken  awnings 
were  fluttering  in  the  blast. 

As  the  galiot  grounded  upon  the  sand,  the  im- 
patient rabble  rushed  into  the  surf  to  capture  and 
make  spoil ;  but  were  awed  into  admiration  and 
respect  by  the  appearance  of  the  illustrious  com- 
pany on  board.  There  were  Moors  of  both  sexes 
sumptuously  arrayed,  and  adorned  with  precious 
jewels,  bearing  the  demeanor  of  persons  of  lofty 
rank.  Among  them  shone  conspicuous  a  youth- 
ful beauty,  magnificently  attired,  to  whom  all 
seemed  to  pay  reverence. 

Several  of  the  Moors  sunouuded  her  with 
drawn  swords,  threatening  death  to  any  that  ap- 
proached; others  sprang  from  the  bark,  and 


THE  LEGEND   OF  DON  RODERICK.        15 

throwing  themselves  on  their  knees  before  tho 
alcaide,  implored  him,  by  his  honor  and  courtesy 
as  a  knight,  to  protect  a  royal  virgin  from  injury 
and  insult. 

"  You  behold  before  you,"  said  they,  "  the  only 
daughter  of  the  king  of  Algiers,  the  betrothed 
bride  of  the  son  of  the  king  of  Tunis.  We 
were  conducting  her  to  the  court  of  her  expecting 
bridegroom,  when  a  tempest  drove  us  from  our 
course,  and  compelled  us  to  take  refuge  on  your 
coast.  Be  not  more  cruel  than  the  tempest,  but 
deal  nobly  with  that  which  even  sea  and  storm 
have  spared." 

The  alcaide  listened  to  their  prayers.  He 
conducted  the  princess  and  her  train  to  the  castle, 
where  every  honor  due  to  her  rank  was  paid  her. 
Some  of  her  ancient  attendants  interceded  for  her 
liberation,  promising  countless  sums  to  be  paid  by 
her  father  for  her  ransom ;  but  the  alcaide 
turned  a  deaf  ear  to  all  their  golden  olers. 
"  She  is  a  royal  captive,"  said  he ;  "  it  belongs  to 
my  sovereign  alone  to  dispose  of  her."  After 
she  had  reposed,  therefore,  for  some  days  at  tne 
castle,  and  recovered  from  the  fatigue  and  terror 
of  the  seas,  he  caused  her  to  be  conducted,  with 
all  her  train,  in  magnificent  state  to  the  court  of 
Don  Roderick. 

The  beautiful  Elyata1  entered  Toledo  more 
like  a  triumphant  sovereign  than  a  captive.  A 
chosen  band  of  Christian  horsemen,  splendidly 
armed,  appeared  to  wait  upon  her  as  a  mere  guard 
of  honor.  She  was  surrounded  by  the  Moorish. 
1  B*  some  she  is  called  Zara. 


16        THE  LEGEND  OF  DON  RODERICK. 

damsels  of  her  train,  and  followed  by  her  own 
Moslem  guards,  all  attired  with  the  magnificence 
that  had  been  intended  to  grace  her  arrival  at 
the  conrt  of  Tunis.  The  princess  was  arrayed 
in  bridal  robes,  woven  in  the  most  costly  looms 
of  the  Orient ;  her  diadem  sparkled  with  dia- 
monds and  was  decorated  with  the  rarest  plumes 
of  the  bird  of  paradise,  and  even  the  silken  trap- 
pings of  her  palfrey,  which  swept  the  ground,  were 
covered  with  pearls  and  precious  stones.  As 
this  brilliant  cavalcade  crossed  the  bridge  of  the 
Tagus,  all  Toledo  poured  forth  to  behold  it,  and 
nothing  was  heard  throughout  the  city  but  praises 
of  the  wonderful  beauty  of  the  princess  of  Al- 
giers. King  Roderick  came  forth,  attended  by 
the  chivalry  of  his  court,  to  receive  the  royal 
captive.  His  recent  voluptuous  life  had  disposed 
him  for  tender  and  amorous  affections,  and  at  the 
first  sight  of  the  beautiful  Elyata  he  was  enrap- 
tured with  her  charms.  Seeing  her  face  clouded 
with  sorrow  and  anxiety,  he  soothed  her  wfrh 
gentle  and  courteous  words,  and,  conducting  her 
to  a  royal  palace,  "  Behold,"  said  he,  "  thy  habita- 
tion, where  no  one  shall  molest  thee;  consider 
thyself  at  home  in  the  mansion  of  thy  father,  and 
dispose  of  anything  according  to  thy  will." 

Here  the  princess  passed  her  time  with  the 
female  attendants  who  had  accompanied  her  from 
Algiers ;  and  no  one  but  the  king  was  permitted 
to  visit  her,  who  daily  became  more  and  more 
enamored  of  his  lovely  captive,  and  sought  by 
tender  assiduity  to  gain  her  affections.  The  dis- 
tress of  the  princess  at  her  captivity  \va*»  soothed 


THE  LEGEND   OF  DON  RODERICK.        17 

l>/  this  gentle  treatment.  She  was  of  an  ago 
wJwin  sorrow  cannot  long  hold  sway  over  the 
he*rt.  Accompanied  by  her  youthful  attendants, 
she  ranged  the  spacious  apartments  of  the  palace, 
and  sported  among  the  groves  and  alleys  of  its 
garden.  Every  day  the  remembrance  of  the 
paternal  home  grew  less  and  less  painful,  and  the 
king  became  more  and  more  amiable  in  her  eyes ; 
and  when  at  length  he  offered  to  share  his  heart 
and  throne  with  her,  she  listened  with  downcast 
looks  and  kindling  blushes,  but  with  an  air  of 
resignation. 

One  obstacle  remained  to  the  complete  fruition 
of  the  monarch's  wishes,  and  this  was  the  religion 
of  the  princess.  Roderick  forthwith  employed 
the  archbishop  of  Toledo  to  instruct  the  beauti- 
ful Elyata  in  the  mysteries  of  the  Christian  faith. 
The  female  intellect  is  quick  in  perceiving  the 
merits  of  new  doctrines;  the  archbishop,  there- 
fore, soon  succeeded  in  converting,  not  merely 
the  princess,  but  most  of  her  attendants,  and  a 
day  was  appointed  for  their  public  baptism.  The 
ceremony  was  performed  with  great  pomp  and 
solemnity,  in  the  presence  of  all  the  nobility  and 
chivalry  of  the  court.  The  princess  and  her 
damsels,  clad  in  white,  walked  on  foot  to  the 
cathedral,  while  numerous  beautiful  children,  ar- 
rayed as  angels,  strewed  their  path  with  flowers  ; 
and  the  archbishop  meeting  them  at  the  portal, 
received  them,  as  it  were,  into  the  bosom  of  the 
church.  The  princess  abandoned  her  Moorish 
appellation  of  Elyata,  and  was  baptized  by  the 


18         THE  LEGEND   OF  DON  RODERICK. 

name  of  Exilona,  by  which  she  was  thenceforth 
called,  and  has  generally  been  known  in.  history. 

The  nuptials  of  Roderick  and  the  beautiful 
convert  took  place  shortly  afterwards,  and  were 
celebrated  with  great  magnificence.  There  were 
jousts,  and  tourneys,  and  banquets,  and  other 
rejoicings,  which  lasted  twenty  days,  and  were 
attended  by  the  principal  nobles  from  all  parts 
of  Spain.  After  these  were  over,  •  such  of  the 
attendants  of  the  princess  as  refused  to  embrace 
Christianity,  and  desired  to  return  to  Africa,  were 
dismissed  with  munificent  presents ;  and  an  em- 
bassy was  sent  to  the  king  of  Algiers,  to  inform 
him  of  the  nuptials  of  his  daughter,  and  to  proffer 
him  the  friendship  of  King  Roderick.1 

1  "Como  esta  Infanta  era  muy  hermosa,  y  el  Rey  [Don 
Rodrigo]  dispuesta  y  gentil  hornbre,  entro  por  medio  el  amor 
y  afieion,  y  junto  con  el  regalo  con  que  la  avia  mandado  hos- 
pedar  y  servir  ful  causa  que  el  rey  persuadio  esta  Infanta;que 
si  se  tornava  a  su  ley  de  christiauo  la  tomaria  por  muger,  y 
que  la  haria  sefiora  de  sus  Keynos.  Con  esta  persuasion  ella 
fiie  contenta,  y  aviendose  vuelto  Christiana,  se  caso  con  ella,  y 
se  celebraron  sus  bodas  con  muchas  fiestas  y  regozijos,  cc  no 
era  razon."  —  Abulcassira,  Conq'st  de  Espan,  cap.  3. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

Of  Count  Julian. 

|OR  a  time  Don  Roderick  lived  happily 
with  his  young  and  beautiful  queen,  and 
Toledo  was  the  seat  of  festivity  and 
splendor.  The  principal  nobles  throughout  the 
kingdom  repaired  to  his  court  to  pay  him  homage, 
and  to  receive  his  commands ;  and  none  were 
more  devoted  in  their  reverence  than  those  who 
were  obnoxious  to  suspicion  from  their  connection 
with  the  late  king. 

Among  the  foremost  of  these  was  Count  Julian, 
a  man  destined  to  be  infamously  renowned  in  the 
dark  story  of  his  country's  woes.  He  was  one  of 
the  proudest  Gothic  families,  lord  of  Consuegra 
and  Algeziras,  and  connected  by  marriage  with 
Witiza  and  the  bishop  Oppas  —  his  wife,  the 
countess  Frandina,  being  their  sister.  In  conse- 
quence of  this  connection,  and  of  his  own  merits, 
he  had  enjoyed  the  highest  dignities  and  com- 
mands, being  one  of  the  Espatorios,  or  royal 
sword-bearers  —  an  office  of  the  greatest  confi- 
dence about  the  person  of  the  sovereign.1  He  had, 
moreover,  been  intrusted  with  the  military  govern- 

1  Condes  Espatorios ;  so  called  from  the  drawn  swords  of 
ample  size  and  breadth  with  which  they  kept  guard  in  the 
ante- chambers  of  the  Gothic  kings.  Comes  Spathariorum, 
custodum  corporis  Kegis  Profectus.  Hunc  et  Propospatha 
rium  appellatum  existimo.  —  Pair.  Pant,  de,  Ojfic.  Goth 


20         THE  LEGEND   OF  DON  RODERICK. 

inent  of  the  Spanish  possessions  on  the  African 
coast  of  the  strait,  which  at  that  time  were  threat- 
ened by  the  Arabs  of  the  East,  the  followers  of 
Mahomet,  who  were  advancing  their  victorious 
standard  to  the  extremity  of  Western  Africa. 
Count  Julian  established  his  seat  of  government 
at  Ceuta,  the  frontier  bulwark,  and  one  of  the  far- 
famed  gates  of  the  Mediterranean  Sea.  Here  he 
boldly  faced,  and  held  in  check,  the  torrent  of 
Moslem  invasion. 

Don  Julian  was  a  man  of  an  active,  but  irreg- 
ular genius,  and  a  grasping  ambition ;  he  had  a 
love  for  power  and  grandeur,  in  which  he  was 
joined  by  his  haughty  countess ;  and  they  could 
ill  brook  the  downfall  of  their  house,  as  threat- 
ened by  the  fate  of  Witiza.  They  had  hastened 
therefore  to  pay  their  court  to  the  newly  elevated 
monarch,  and  to  assure  him  of  their  fidelity  to  his 
interests. 

Roderick  was  readily  persuaded  of  the  sincerity 
of  Count  Julian  ;  he  was  aware  of  his  merits  as  a 
soldier  and  a  governor,  and  continued  him  in  his 
important  command ;  honoring  him  with  many 
other  marks  of  implicit  confidence.  Count  Julian 
sought  to  confirm  this  confidence  by  every  proof  of 
devotion.  It  was  a  custom  among  the  Goths  to 
rear  many  of  the  children  of  the  most  illustrious 
families  in  the  royal  household.  They  served 
as  pages  to  the  king,  and  handmaids  and  ladies 
of  honor  to  the  queen,  and  were  instructed  in  all 
manner  of  accomplishments  befitting  their  gentle 
blood.  When  about  to  depart  for  Ceuta,  to 
resume  his  command,  Don  Julian  brought  his 


THE  LEGEND  OF  DON  RODERICK.    21 

daughter  Florinda  to  present  her  to  the  sovereigns. 
She  was  a  beautiful  virgin  that  had  not  as  yet 
attained  to  w  ^manhood.  "  I  confide  her  to  your 
protection, "  said  he  to  the  king, "  to  be  unto  her 
as  a  father ;  and  to  have  her  trained  hi  the  paths 
of  virtue.  I  can  leave  with  you  no  dearer  pledge 
of  my  loyalty." 

King  Roderick  received  the  timid  and  blushing 
maiden  into  his  parental  care ;  promising  to 
watch  over  her  happiness  with  a  parent's  eye,  and 
that  she  should  be  enrolled  among  the  most 
cherished  attendants  of  the  queen.  With  this 
assurance  of  the  welfare  of  his  child,  Count 
Julian  departed,  well  pleased,  for  his  government 
at  Ceuta. 


CHAPTER  V. 

The  Story  of  Florinda. 

|HE  beautiful  daughter  of  Count  Julian 
was  received  with  great  favor  by  the 
queen  Exilona  and  admitted  among  the 
noble  damsels  that  attended  upon  her  person. 
Here  she  lived  in  honor  and  apparent  security, 
and  surrounded  by  innocent  delights.  To  gratify 
his  queen,  Don  Roderick  had  built  for  her  rural 
recreation  a  palace  without  the  walls  of  Toledo, 
on  the  banks  of  the  Tagus.  It  stood  in  the  midst 
of  a  garden,  adorned  after  the  luxurious  style  of 
the  East.  The  air  was  perfumed  by  fragrant 
shrubs  and  flowers  ;  the  groves  resounded  with  the 
song  of  the  nightingale,  while  the  gush  of  fountains 
and  water-falls,  and  the  distant  murmur  of  the 
Tagus,  made  it  a  delightful  retreat  during  the 
sultry  days  of  summer.  The  charm  of  perfect 
privacy  also  reigned  throughout  the  place,  for  the 
garden  walls  were  high,  and  numerous  guards 
kept  watch  without  to  protect  it  from  all  intrusion. 
IT  this  delicious  abode,  more  'befitting  an 
oriental  voluptuary  than  a  Gothic  king,  Don 
Roderick  was  accustomed  to  while  away  much  of 
that  time  which  should  have  been  devoted  to  the 
toilsome  cares  of  government.  The  very  security 


THE  LEGEND   OF  DON  RODERICK.         23 

and  peace  which  he  had  produced  throughout  his 
dominions  by  his  precautions  to  abolish  the  means 
arid  habitudes  of  war,  had  effected  a  disastrous 
change  in  his  character.  The  hardy  and  heroic 
qualities  which  had  conducted  him  to  the  throne, 
were  softened  in  the  lap  of  indulgence.  Sur- 
rounded by  the  pleasures  of  an  idle  and  effeminate 
court,  and  beguiled  by  the  example  of  his  de- 
generate nobles,  he  gave  way  to  a  fatal-  sensuality 
that  had  lain  dormant  in  his  nature  during  the 
virtuous  days  of  his  adversity.  The  mere  love 
of  female  beauty  had  first  enamored  him  of 
Exilona,  and  the  same  passion,  fostered  by  volup- 
tuous idleness,  now  betrayed  him  into  the  commis- 
sion of  an  act  fatal  to  himself  and  Spain.  The 
following  is  the  story  of 'his  error  as  gathered 

from  an  old  chronicle  and  legend. 

• 

In  a  remote  part  of  the  palace  was  an  apart- 
ment devoted  to  the  queen.  It  was  like  an  eastern 
harem,  shut  up  from  the  foot  of  man,  .and  where 
the  king  himself  but  rarely  entered.  It  had  its 
own  courts,  and  gardens,  and  fountains,  where 
the  queen  was  wont  to  recreate  herself  with  her 
damsels,  as  she  had  been  accustomed  to  do  in  the 
jealous  privacy  of  her  father's  palace. 

One  sultry  day  the  king,  instead  of  taking  his 
siesta,  or  mid-day  slumber,  repaired  to  this  apart- 
ment to  seek  the  society  of  the  queen.  In  pass- 
ing through  a  small  oratory,  he  was  drawn  by  the 
•iound  of  female  voices  to  a  casement  overhung 
with  myrtles  and  jessamines.  It  looked  into  ai 
interior  garden  or  court,  set  out  with  orange-trees, 
in  the  midst  of  which  was  a  marble  fountain, 


24   TEE  LEGEND  OF  DON  RODERICK. 

surrounded    by    a    grassy    bank,  enameled  with 
flowers. 

It  was  the  high  noontide  of  a  summer  day 
when,  in  sultry  Spain,  the  landscape  trembles  to 
the  eye,  and  all  nature  seeks  repose,  except  the 
grasshopper,  that  pipes  his  lulling  note  to  the 
herdsman  as  he  sleeps  beneath  the  shade. 

Around  the  fountain  were  several  of  the  damsels 
of  the  queen,  who,  confident  of  the  sacred  privacy 
of  the  place,  were  yielding  in  that  cool  retreat  to 
the  indulgence  prompted  by  the  season  and  the 
hour.  Some  lay  asleep  on  the  flowery  bank ; 
others  sat  on  the  margin  of  the  fountain,  talking 
and  laughing,  as  they  bathed  their  feet  in  its  limpid 
waters,  and  King  Roderick  beheld  delicate  limbs 
shining  through  the  wave  that  might  rival  the 
marble  in  whiteness. 

Among  the  damsels  was  one  who  had  come  from 
ihe  Barbary  coast  with  the  queen.  Her  com- 
plexion had  the  dark  tinge  of  Mauritania,  but  it 
was  clear  and  transparent,  and  the  deep  rich  rose 
blushed  through  the  lovely  brown.  Her  eyes 
were  black  and  full  of  fire,  and  flashed  from  under 
long  silken  eyelashes. 

A  sportive  contest  arose  among  the  maidens,  as 
to  the  comparative  beauty  of  the  Spanish  and 
Moorish  forms  ;  but  the  Mauritanian  damsel  re- 
vealed limbs  of  voluptuous  symmetry  that  seemed 
to  defy  all  rivalry. 

The  Spanish  beauties  were  on  the  point  of 
giving  up  the  contest,  when  they  bethought  them- 
selves of  the  young  Florinda,  the  daughter  of 
Count  Julian,  who  lay  on  the  grassy  bank,  aban- 


THE  LEGEND   OF  DON  RODERICK.        25 

loned  to  a  summer  slumber.  The  scft  glow  of 
youth  and  health  mantled  on  her  cheek ;  her 
fringed  eyelashes  scarcely  covered  their  sleeping 
orbs  ;  her  moist  and  ruby  lips  were  slightly  parted, 
just  revealing  a  gleam  of  her  ivory  teeth,  while 
her  innocent  bosom  rose  and  fell  beneath  her 
bodice,  like  the  gentle  swelling  and  sinking  of  a 
tranquil  sea.  There  was  a  breathing  tenderness 
and  beauty  in  the  sleeping  virgin,  that  seemed  to 
send  forth  sweetness  like  the  flowers  around  her. 

"  Behold,"  cried  her  companions  exultingly, 
"  the  champion  of  Spanish  beauty  !  " 

In  their  playful  eagerness  they  half  disrobed 
the  innocent  Florinda  before  she  was  aware.  Sha 
awoke  in  time,  however,  to  escape  from  their  busy 
hands  ;  but  enough  of  her  charms  had  been  re- 
vealed to  convince  the  monarch  that  they  were 
not  to  be  rivaled  by  the  rarest  beauties  of 
Mauritania. 

From  this  day  the  heart  of  Roderick  was  in- 
flamed with  a  fatal  passion.  He  gazed  on  the 
beautiful  Florinda  with  fervid  desire,  and  sought 
to  read  in  her  looks  whether  there  was  levity  or 
wantonness  in  her  bosom ;  but  the  eye  of  the 
damsel  ever  sunk  beneath  his  gaze,  and  remained 
bent  on  the  earth  in  virgin  modesty. 

In  vain  he  called  to  mind  the  sacred  trust  re- 
posed in  him  by  Count  Julian,  and  the  promise 
he  had  given  to  watch  over  his  daughter  with 
paternal  care ;  his  heart  was  vitiated  by  sensual 
indulgence,  and  the  consciousness  of  power  had 
rendered  him  selfish  in  his  gratifications. 

Being  one  evening  in    the  garden  where  the 


26         THE  LEGEND   OF  DON  RODERICK. 

queen  was  diverting  herself  with  her  damsels,  and 
coming  to  the  fountain  where  he  had  beheld  the 
innocent  maidens  at  their  sport,  he  could  no  longer 
restrain  the  passion  raging  within  his  breast. 
Seating  himself  beside  the  fountain,  he  called  Flo- 
rinda  to  draw  forth  a  thorn  which  had  pierced  his 
hand.  The  maiden  knelt  at  his  feet  to  examine 
his  hand,  and  the  touch  of  her  slender  fingers 
thrilled  through  his  veins.  As  she  knelt,  too.  her 
amber  locks  fell  in  rich  ringlets  about  her  beauti- 
ful head,  her  innocent  bosom  palpitated  beneath 
the  crimson  bodice,  and  her  timid  blushes  increased 
the  effulgence  of  her  charms. 

Having  examined  the  monarch's  hand  hi  vain, 
she  looked  up  in  his  face  with  artless  perplexity. 

"  Senor,"  said  she,  "  I  can  find  no  thorn  nor 
any  sign  of  wound." 

Don  Roderick  grasped  her  hand  and  pressed 
it  to  his  heart.  "  It  is  here,  lovely  Florinda !  " 
said  he ;  "  it  is  here  !  and  thou  alone  canst  pluck 
it  forth  ! " 

"  My  lord ! "  exclaimed  the  blushing  and  as- 
tonished maiden. 

"  Florinda  ! "  said  Don  Roderick,  "  dost  thou 
love  me  ?  " 

"  Senor,"  said  she,  "  my  father  taught  me  to 
love  and  reverence  you.  He  confided  me  to  your 
care  as  one  who  would  be  as  a  parent  to  me, 
when  he  should  be  far  distant,  serving  your 
majesty  with  life  and  loyalty.  May  God  incline 
your  majesty  ever  to  protect  me  as  a  father." 
So  saying,  the  maiden  dropped  her  eyes  to  the 
ground,  and  cor  tinned  kneeling  ;  but  her  coun- 


TEL  LEGEND   OF  DON  RODERICK.        27 

tenance  had  become  deadly  pale,  and  as  she  knelt 
she  trembled. 

"  Florinda,"  said  the  king,  "  either  thou  dost 
not,  or  thou  wilt  not,  understand  me.  I  would 
have  thee  love  me,  not  as  a  father,  nor  as  a  mon- 
arch, but  as  one  who  adores  thee.  Why  dost 
thou  start?  No  one  shall  know  our  loves  ;  and, 
moreover,  the  love  of  a  monarch  inflicts  no  deg- 
radation like  the  love  of  a  common  man  ;  riches 
and  honors  attend  upon  it.  I  will  advance  thee 
to  rank  and  dignity,  and  place  thee  above  the 
proudest  females  of  my  court.  Thy  father,  too, 
shall  be  more  exalted  and  endowed  than  any 
noble  in  my  realm." 

The  soft  eye  of  Florinda  kindled  at  these 
words.  "  Sefior,"  said  she,  "  the  line  I  spring 
from  can  receive  no  dignity  by  means  so  vile  ; 
and  my  father  would  rather  die  than  purchase 
rank  and  power  by  the  dishonor  of  his  child. 
But  I  see,"  continued  she,  "  that  your  majesty 
speaks  in  this  manner  only  to  try  me.  You  may 
have  thought  me  light  and  simple,  and  unworthy 
to  attend  upon  the  queen.  I  pray  your  majesty 
to  pardon  me,  that  I  have  taken  your  pleasantry 
in  such  serious  part." 

In  this  way  the  agitated  maiden  sought  to 
evade  the  addresses  of  the  monarch,  but  still  her 
cheek  was  blanched,  and  her  lip  quivered  as  she 
Fpake. 

The  king  pressed  her  hand  to  his  lips  with 
fervor.  "May  ruin  seize  me,"  cried  he,  "If  I 
speak  to  prove  thee.  My  heart,  my  kingdom, 
are  at  thy  command.  Only  be  mine,  and  thou 


28        THE  LEGEND    OF  DON  RODERICK. 

ehalt  rule  absolute  mistress  of  myself  and  my  do- 
mains." 

The  damsel  rose  from  the  earth  where  she  had 
hitherto  knelt,  and  her  whole  countenance  glowed 
with  virtuous  indignation.  "My  lord,"  said  she, 
"  I  am  your  subject,  and  in  your  power ;  take  my 
life  if  it  be  your  pleasure,  but  nothing  shall 
tempt  me  to  commit  a  crime  which  would  be 
treason  to  the  queen,  disgrace  to  my  father,  agony 
to  my  mother,  and  perdition  to  myself."  With 
these  words  she  left  the  garden,  and  the  king,  for 
the  moment,  was  too  much  awed  by  her  indig- 
nant virtue  to  oppose  her  departure. 

We  shall  pass  briefly  over  the  succeeding 
events  of  the  story  of  Florinda,  about  which  so 
much  has  been  said  and  sung  by  chronicler  and 
bard;  for  the  sober  page  of  history  should  be 
carefully  chastened  from  all  scenes  that  might  in- 
flame a  wanton  imagination  —  leaving  them  to 
poems  and  romances,  and  such  like  highly  sea- 
soned works  of  fantasy  and  recreation. 

Let  it  suffice  to  say  that  Don  Roderick  pursued 
his  suit  to  the  beautiful  Florinda,  his  passion 
being  more  and  more  inflamed  by  the  resistance 
of  the  virtuous  damsel.  At  length,  forgetting 
what  was  due  to  helpless  beauty,  to  his  own 
honor  as  a  knight,  and  his  word  as  a  sovereign,  he 
triumphed  over  her  weakness  by  base  and  un- 
manly violence. 

There  are  not  wanting  those  who  affirm  that 
the  hapless  Florinda  lent  a  yielding  ear  to  the 
solicitations  of  the  monarch,  and  her  name  has 
been  treated  with  opprobrium  in  several  of  the 


THE  LEGEND  OF  DON  RODERICK.    29 

ancient  chronicles  and  legendary  ballads  that  have 
transmitted,  from  generation  to  generation,  the 
story  of  the  woes  of  Spain.  In  very  truth,  how- 
ever, she  appears  to  have  been  a  guiltless  victim, 
resisting  as  far  as  helpless  female  could  resist,  the 
arts  and  intrigues  of  a  powerful  monarch,  who 
had  naught  to  cheek  the  indulgence  of  his  will, 
and  bewailing  her  disgrace  with  a  poignancy  that 
shows  how  dearly  she  had  prized  her  honor. 

In  the  first  paroxysm  of  her  grief  she  wrote  a 
letter  to  her  father,  blotted  with  her  tears  and 
almost  incoherent  from  her  agitation.  "  Would  to 
God,  my  father,"  said  she,  "  that  the  earth  had 
opened  and  swallowed  me  ere  I  had  been  reduced 
to  write  these  lines.  I  blush  to  tell  thee,  what  it 
is  not  proper  to  conceal.  Alas,  my  father  !  thou 
hast  intrusted  thy  lamb  to  the  guardianship  of  the 
lion.  Thy  daughter  has  been  dishonored,  the  royal 
cradle  of  the  Goths  polluted,  and  our  lineage  in- 
sulted and  disgraced.  Hasten,  my  father,  to  res- 
cue your  child  from  the  power  of  the  spoiler,  and 
to  vindicate  the  honor  of  your  house." 

When  Florinda  had  written  these  lines  she 
summoned  a  youthful  esquire  who  had  been  a  page 
in  the  service  of  her  father.  "  Saddle  thy  steed," 
said  she,  "  and  if  thou  dost  aspire  to  knightly 
honor,  or  hope  for  lady's  grace ;  if  thou  hast 
fealty  for  thy  lord,  or  devotion  to  his  daughter, 
speed  swiftly  upon  my  errand.  Rest  not,  halt 
not,  spare  not  the  spur,  but  hie  thee  day  and 
night  until  thou  reach  the  sea ;  take  the  first 
bark,  and  haste  with  sail  and  oar  to  Ceuta,  nor 
pause  until  thov  give  this  letter  to  the  count  my 


30        THE  LEGEND   OF  DON  RODERICK. 

father."  The  youth  put  the  letter  in  his  bosom. 
"Trust  me,  lady,"  said  he  «  I  will  neither  halt, 
nor  turn  aside,  nor  cast  a  look  behind,  until  I 
reach  Count  Julian."  He  mounted  his  fleet 
steed,  sped  his  way  across  the  bridge,  and  soon 
left  behind  him  the  verdant  valley  of  the  Tagus. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

Don  Roderick  receives  an  Extraordinary  Embassy. 

I  HE  heart  of  Don  Roderick  was  not  so 
depraved  by  sensuality,  but  that  the 
wrong  he  had  been  guilty  of  toward  the 
innocent  Floriuda,  and  the  disgrace  he  had  in- 
flicted on  her  house,  weighed  heavy  on  his  spirits, 
and  a  cloud  began  to  gather  on  his  once  clear  and 
uuwrinkled  brow. 

Heaven  at  this  time,  say  the  old  Spanish 
chronicles,  permitted  a  marvelous  intimation  of 
the  wrath  with  which  it  intended  to  visit  the 
monarch  and  his  people,  in  punishment  of  their 
sins ;  nor  are  we,  say  the  same  orthodox,  writers, 
to  startle  and  withhold  our  faith  when  we  meet  in 
the  page  of  discreet  and  sober  history  with  these 
signs  and  potents,  which  transcend  the  probabil- 
ities of  ordinary  life ;  for  the  revolutions  of 
empires  and  the  downfalls  of  mighty  kings  are 
awful  events,  that  shake  the  physical  as  well  as 
the  moral  world,  and  are  often  announced  by  fore- 
running marvels  and  prodigious  omens. 

With  such  like  cautious  preliminaries  do  the 
wary  but  credulous  historiographers  of  yore  usher 
in  a  marvelous  event  of  prophecy  and  enchant- 
ment, linked  in  ancient  story  with  the  fortunes  of 
Don  Roderick,  but  which  modern  doubters  would 


32         THE  LEGEND   OF  DON  RODERICK. 

fain  hold  up  as  an  apocryphal  tradition  of  An 
bian  origin. 

Now,  so  it  happened,  according  to  the  legend, 
that  about  this  time,  as  King  Roderick  was  seated 
one  day  on  his  throne,  surrounded  by  his  nobles,  in 
the  ancient  city  of  Toledo,  two  men  of  venerable 
appearance  entered  the  hall  of  audience.  Their 
snowy  beards  descended  to  their  breasts,  and 
their  gray  hairs  were  bound  with  ivy.  They 
were  arrayed  in  white  garments  of  foreign  or 
antiquated  fashion,  which  swept  the  ground,  and 
were  cultured  with  girdles,  wrought  with  the 
signs  of  the  zodiac,  from  which  were  suspended 
enormous  bunches  of  keys  of  every  variety  of  form. 
Having  approached  the  throne  and  made  obei- 
sance, — "  Know,  O  king, "  said  one  of  the  old 
men,  "  that  in  days  of  yore,  when  Hercules  of 
Lybia,  surnamed  the  Strong,  had  set  up  his  pil- 
lars at  the  ocean  strait,  he  erected  a  tower  near 
to  this  ancient  city  of  Toledo.  He  built  it  of 
prodigious  strength,  and  finished  it  with  magic  art, 
shutting  up  within  it  a  fearful  secret,  never  to  be 
penetrated  without  peril  and  disaster.  To  pro- 
tect this  terrible  mystery  he  closed  the  entrance 
to  the  edifice  with  a  ponderous  door  of  iron,  se- 
cured by  a  great  lock  of  steel,  and  he  left  a  com- 
mand that  every  king  who  should  succeed  him 
should  add  another  lock  to  the  portal ;  denouncing 
woe  and  destruction  on  him  who  should  eventually 
unfold  the  secret  of  the  tower. 

"  The  guardianship  of  the  portal  was  given  to 
our  ancestors,  and  has  continued  in  our  family, 
from  generation  to  generation,  since  the  days  of 


THE  LEGEND   OF  DON  RODERICK.        33 

Hercules.  Several  kings,  from  time  to  time,  have 
caused  the  gate  to  be  thrown  open,  and  have  at- 
tempted to  enter,  but  have  paid  dearly  for  their 
temerity.  Some  have  perished  within  the  thresh- 
old ;  others  have  been  overwhelmed  with  horror 
at  tremendous  sounds,  which  shook  the  founda- 
tions of  the  earth,  and  have  hastened  to  reclose 
the  door  and  secure  it  with  its  thousand  locks. 
Thus,  since  the  days  of  Hercules,  the  inmost 
recesses  of  the  pile  have  never  been  penetrated 
by  mortal  man,  and  a  profound  mystery  continues 
to  prevail  over  this  great  enchantment.  This,  O 
king,  is  all  we  have  to  relate  ;  and  our  errand  is 
to  entreat  thee  to  repair  to  the  tower  and  affix, 
thy  lock  to  the  portal,  as  has  been  done  by  all  thy 
predecessors."  Having  thus  said,  the  ancient  men 
made  a  profound  reverence  and  departed  from 
the  presence-chamber.1 

Don  Roderick  remained  for  some  time  lost  in 
thought  after  the  departure  of  the  men ;  he  then 
dismissed  all  his  court  excepting  the  venerable 
Urbino,  at  that  time  Archbishop  of  Toledo.  The 
long  white  beard  of  this  prelate  bespoke  his  ad- 
vanced age,  and  his  overhanging  eyebrows  showed 
him  a  man  full  of  wary  counsel. 

"  Father, "  said  the  king,  "  I  have  an  earnest 
desire  to  penetrate  the  mystery  of  this  tower." 
The  worthy  prelate  shook  his  hoary  head.  "  Be- 
jvare.  my  son, "  said  he  ;  "  there  are  secrets  hidden 
from  man  for  his  good.  Your  predecessors  for 

1  Perdidade  Espaiia,  por  Abulcasim  Tarif  Abentarique,  L.  1, 
c.  6.     Cronica  del  Rey  Don  Rodriyo,  por  el  Moro  Basis,  L.  1,  c. 
i.    Bleda,  Cron.  cap.  vij. 
3 


34    THE  LEGEND  OF  DON  RODERICK. 

many  generations  have  respected  this  mystery, 
and  have  increased  in  might  and  empire.  A 
knowledge  of  it,  therefore,  is  not  material  to  the 
welfare  of  your  kingdom.  Seek  not  then  to  in- 
dulge a  rash  and  unprofitable  curiosity,  which'  is 
interdicted  under  such  awful  menaces." 

"  Of  what  importance,"  cried  the  king,  "  are 
the  menaces  of  Hercules  the  Libyan  ?  was  he  not 
a  pagan  ?  and  can  his  enchantments  have  aught 
avail  against  a  believer  in  our  holy  faith  ?  Doubt- 
less in  this  tower  are  locked  up  treasures  of  gold 
and  jewels,  amassed  in  days  of  old,  the  spoils  of 
mighty  kings,  the  riches  of  the  pagan  world.  My 
coffers  are  exhausted ;  I  have  need  of  supply ; 
and  surely  it  would  be  an  acceptable  act  in  the 
eyes  of  Heaven  to  draw  forth  this  wealth  which 
lies  buried  under  profane  and  necromantic  spells, 
and  consecrate  it  to  religious  purposes." 

The  venerable  archbishop  still  continued  to 
remonstrate,  but  Don  Roderick  heeded  not  his 
counsel,  for  he  was  led  on  by  his  malignant  star. 
"  Father, "  said  he,  "  it  is  in  vain  you  attempt  to 
dissuade  me.  My  resolution  is  fixed.  To-mor- 
row I  will  explore  the  hidden  mystery,  or  rather 
the  hidden  treasures,  of  this  tower." 


CHAPTER  VII. 

Story  of  the  Marvelous  and  Portentous  Tower. 

[HE  morning  sun  shone  brightly  upon  the 
cliff-built  towers  of  Toledo,  when  King 
Roderick  issued  out  of  the  gate  of  the 
city  at  the  head  of  a  numerous  train  of  courtiers 
and  cavaliers,  and  crossed  the  bridge  that  bestrides 
the  deep  rocky  bed  of  the  Tagus.  The  shining 
cavalcade  wound  up  the  road  that  leads  among 
the  mountains,  aud  soon  came  in  sight  of  the 
necromantic  tower. 

Of  this  renowned  edifice  marvels  are  related 
by  the  ancient  Arabian  and  Spanish  chroniclers, 
"  and  I  doubt  much,"  adds  the  venerable  Agapida, 
"  whether  many  readers  will  not  consider  the 
tthole  as  a  cunningly  devised  fable,  sprung  from 
an  Oriental  imagination  ;  but  it  is  not  for  me  to 
reject  a  fact  which  is  recorded  by  all  those  writers 
who  are  the  fathers  of  our  national  history ;  a  fact 
too,  which  is  as  well  attested  as  most  of  the  re- 
markable events  in  the  story  of  Don  Roderick. 
None  but  light  and  inconsiderate  minds,"  continues 
the  good  friar,  "  do  hastily  reject  the  marvelous. 
To  the  thinking  mind  the  whole  world  is  enveloped 
in  mystery,  and  everything  is  full  of  type  and 
portent.  To  such  a  mind  the  r  ecromantic  tower 


36         THE  LEGEND   OF  DON  RODERICK. 

of  Toledo  will  appear  as  one  of  those  wondrous 
monuments  of  the  olden  time  ;  one  <jf  those  Egyp- 
tian and  Chaldaic  piles,  storied  with  hidden 
wisdom  and  mystic  prophecy,  which  have  been 
devised  in  past  ages,  when  man  yet  enjoyed  an 
intercourse  with  high  and  spiritual  natures,  and 
when  human  foresight  partook  of  divination." 

This  singular  tower  was  round  and  of  great 
height  and  grandeur,  erected  upon  a  lofty  rock; 
and  surrounded  by  crags  and  precipices.  The 
foundation  was  supported  by  four  brazen  lions, 
each  taller  than  a  cavalier  on  horseback.  The 
walls  were  built  of  small  pieces  of  jasper  and 
various  colored  marbles,  not  larger  than  a  man's 
hand  ;  so  subtilely  joined,  however,  that,  but  for 
their  different  hues,  they  might  be  taken  for  one 
entire  stone.  They  were  arranged  with  marvel- 
ous cunning,  so  as  to  represent  battles  and  war- 
like deeds  of  times  and  heroes  long  since  passed 
away,  and  the  whole  surface  was  so  admirably 
polished  that  the  stones  were  as  lustrous  as  glass, 
and  reflected  the  rays  of  the  sun  with  such  re- 
splendent brightness  as  to  dazzle  all  beholders.1 

King  Roderick  and  his  courtiers  arrived  won- 
dering and  amazed  at  the  foot  of  the  rock.  Here 
there  was  a  narrow  arched  way  cut  through  the 
living  stone,  the  only  entrance  to  the  tower.  It 
was  closed  by  a  massive  iron  gate,  covered  with 
rusty  locks  of  divers  workmanship  and  in  the 
fashion  of  different  centuries,  which  had  been 

l  From  the  minute  account  of  the  good  friar,  drawn  from 
the  ancient  chronicles,  it  would  appear  that  the  walls  of  tho 
tower  were  pictured  in  mosaic  work. 


THE  LEGEND  OF  DON  RODERICK.   &r 

affixed  by  the  predecessors  of  Don  Roderick. 
On  either  side  of  the  portal  stood  the  two  ancient 
guardians  of  the  tower,  laden  with  the  keys  ap- 
pertaining to  the  locks. 

The  king  alighted,  and  approaching  the  portals 
ordered  the  guardians  to  unlock  the  gate.  The 
hoary  headed  men  drew  back  with  terror.  "  Alas ! " 
cried  they,  "  what  is  it  your  majesty  requires  of 
us  ?  Would  you  have  the  mischiefs  of  this  tower 
unbound,  and  let  loose  to  shake  the  earth  to  its 
foundations  ?  " 

The  venerable  Archbishop  Urbino  likewise  im- 
plored him  not  to  disturb  a  mystery  which  had 
been  held  sacred  from  generation  to  generation 
within  the  memory  of  man,  and  which  even  Cae- 
sar himself,  when  sovereign  of  Spain,  had  not  ven- 
tured to  invade.  The  youthful  cavaliers,  how- 
ever, were  eager  to  pursue  the  adventure,  and 
encouraged  him  in  his  rash  curiosity. 

"  Come  what  come  may,"  exclaimed  Don  Rod- 
erick, "  I  arn  resolved  to  penetrate  the  mystery 
of  this  tower.  "  So  saying,  he  again  commanded 
the  guardians  to  unlock  the  portal.  The  ancient 
men  obeyed  with  fear  and  trembling,  but  their 
hands  shook  with  age,  and  when  they  applied  the 
keys  the  locks  were  so  rusted  by  time,  or  of  such 
strange  workmanship,  that  they  resisted  their 
feeble  efforts,  whereupon  the  young  cavaliers 
pressed  forward  and  lent  their  aid.  Still  the 
locks  were  so  numerous  and  difficult,  that  with 
all  their  eagerness  and  strength  a  great  part  of 
the  day  was  exhausted  before  the  whole  of  them 
could  be  mastered. 


&8          THE  LEGEND    OF  DON  RODERICK. 

When  the  last  bolt  had  yielded  to  the  key,  tho 
guardians  and  the  reverend  archbishop  again  en- 
treated the  king  to  pause  and  reflect.  "  What- 
ever is  within  this  tower,"  said  they,  "  is  as  yet 
harmless,  and  lies  bound  under  a  mighty  spell ; 
venture  not  then  to  open  a  door  which  may  let 
forth  a  flood  of  evil  upon  the  land."  But  the 
anger  of  the  king  was  roused,  and  he  ordered 
that  the  portal  should  be  instantly  thrown  open. 
In  vain,  however,  did  one  after  another  exert  his 
strength,  and  equally  in  vain  did  the  cavaliers 
unite  their  forces,  and  apply  their  shoulders  to 
the  gate ;  though  there  was  neither  bar  nor  bolt 
remaining,  it  was  perfectly  immovable. 

The  patience  of  the  king  was  now  exhausted, 
and  he  advanced  to  apply  his  hand;  scarcely, 
however,  did  he  touch  the  iron  gate,  when  it 
swung  slowly  open,  uttering,  as  it  were,  a  dismal 
groan,  as  it  turned  reluctantly  upon  its  hinges. 
A  cold,  damp  wind  issued  forth,  accompanied  by 
a  tempestuous  sound.  The  hearts  of  the  ancient 
guardians  quaked  within  them,  and  their  knees 
smote  together ;  but  several  of  the  youthful  cava- 
liers rushed  in,  eager  to  gratify  their  curiosity, 
or  to  signalize  themselves  in  this  redoubtable 
enterprise.  They  had  scarcely  advanced  a  few 
paces,  however,  when  they  recoiled,  overcome  by 
the  baleful  air,  or  by  some  fearful  vision.1  Upon 
this,  the  king  ordered  that  fires  should  be  kindled 
to  dispel  the  darkness,  and  to  correct  the  noxious 
and  long-imprisoned  air;  he  then  led  the  way 
into  the  interior ;  but,  though  stout  of  heart,  lie 
advanced  with  awe  and  hesitation. 
1  B'eda,  Cronic-*,  cap.  7. 


THE  LEGEND   OF  DON  RODERICK.        39 

After  proceeding  a  short  distance,  he  entered  a 
hall  or  ante-chamber,  on  the  opposite  side  of 
which  was  a  door,  and  before  it,  on  a  pedestal 
stood  a  gigantic  figure,  of  the  coloi  of  bronze 
and  of  a  terrible  aspect.  It  held  a  huge  mace, 
which  it  whirled  incessantly,  giving  such  cruel 
and  resounding  blows  upon  the  earth  as  to  pre- 
vent all  further  entrance. 

The  king  paused  at  sight  of  this  appalling 
figure,  for  whether  it  were  a  living  being,  or  a 
statue  of  magic  artifice,  he  could  not  tell.  On  its 
breast  was  a  scroll,  whereon  was  inscribed,  in 
large  letters,  "  I  do  my  duty."  1  After  a  little 
while  Roderick  plucked  up  heart,  and  addressed 
it  with  great  solemnity.  "Whatever  thou  be," 
said  he,  "  know  that  I  come  not  to  violate  this 
sanctuary,  but  to  inquire  into  the  mystery  it  con- 
tains ;  I  conjure  thee,  therefore,  to  let  me  pass  in 
safety." 

Upon  this  the  figure  paused  with  uplifted 
mace,  and  the  king  and  his  train  passed  unmo- 
lested through  the  door. 

They  now  entered  a  vast  chamber,  of  a  rare 
and  sumptuous  architecture,  difficult  to  be  de- 
scribed. The  walls  were  incrusted  with  the  most 
precious  gems,  so  joined  together  as  to  form  one 
smooth  and  perfect  surface.  The  lofty  dome  ap- 
peared to  be  self-supported,  and  was  studded  with 
gems,  lustrous  as  the  stars  of  the  firmament. 
There  was  neither  wood,  nor  any  other  common 
>r  base  material  to  be  seen  throughout  the  edi- 
fice. There  were  no  windows  or  other  openfnga 

,  Cronica,  cap.  7. 


40         THE  LEGEND    OF  DON   RODERICK. 

to  admit  the  day,  yet  a  radiant  light  was  spread 
throughout  the  place  which  seemed  to  shine  from 
the  walls  and  to  render  every  object  distinctly 
visible. 

In  the  centre  of  this  hall  stood  a  table  of  ala- 
baster, of  the  rarest  workmanship,  on  which  was 
inscribed,  in  Greek  characters,  that  Hercules  Al- 
cides,  the  Theban  Greek,  had  founded  this  tower 
in  the  year  of  the  world  three  thousand  and  six. 
Upon  the  table  stood  a  golden  casket,  richly  set 
round  with  precious  stones,  and  closed  with  a  lock 
of  mother-of-pearl,  and  on  the  lid  were  inscribed 
the  following  words :  — 

"  Iii  this  coffer  is  contained  the  mystery  of  the 
tower.  The  hand  of  none  but  a  king  can  open 
it ;  but  let  him  beware !  for  marrelous  events 
will  be  revealed  to  him,  which  are  to  take  place 
before  his  death." 

King  Roderick  boldly  seized  upon  the  casket. 
The  venerable  archbishop  laid  his  hand  upon  his 
arm,  and  made  a  last  remonstrance.  "  Forbear, 
my  son,"  said  he ;  "  desist  while  there  is  yet  time. 
Look  not  into  the  mysterious  decrees  of  Provi- 
dence. God  has  hidden  them  in  mercy  from  our 
sight,  and  it  is  impious  to  rend  the  veil  by  which 
they  are  concealed." 

"  What  have  I  to  dread  from  a  knowledge  of 
the  future?"  replied  Roderick,  with  an  air  of 
haughty  presumption.  "  If  good  be  destined  me 
I  shall  enjoy  it  by  anticipation ;  if  evil,  I  shall 
arm  myself  to  meet  it."  So  saying,  he  rashly 
broke  the  lock. 

Within  fhe  coffer  he  found  nothing  but  a  linen 


THE  LEGEND   OF  DON  RODERICK.        41 

cloth,  folded  between  two  tablets  of  copper.  Or; 
unfolding  it,  he  beheld  painted  on  it  figures  of 
men  on  horseback,  of  fierce  demeanor,  clad  in 
turbans  and  robes  of  various  colors,  after  the 
fashion  of  the  Arabs,  with  scimetars  hanging  from 
their  necks,  and  cross-bows  at  their  saddle-backs, 
and  they  carried  banners  and  pennons  with  divers 
devices.  Above  them  was  inscribed,  in  Greek 
characters,  "  Rash  monarch  !  behold  the  men  who 
are  to  hurl  thee  from  thy  throne,  and  subdue  thy 
kingdom1." 

At  sight  of  these  things  the  king  was  troubled 
in  spirit,  and  dismay  fell  upon  his  attendants. 
While  they  were  yet  regarding  the  paintings,  it 
seemed  as  if  the  figures  began  to  move,  and  a 
faint  sound  of  warlike  tumult  arose  from  the 
cloth,  with  the  clash  of  cymbal  and  bray  of  trum- 
pet, the  neigh  of  steed  and  shout  of  army ;  but 
all  was  heard  indistinctly,  as  if  afar  off,  or  in  a 
reverie  or  dream.  The  more  they  gazed,  the 
plainer  became  the  motion,  and  the  louder  the 
noise ;  and  the  linen  cloth  rolled  forth,  and  ampli- 
fied, and  spread  out,  as  it  were,  a  mighty  banner, 
and  filled  the  hall,  and  mingled  with  the  air,  until 
its  texture  was  no  longer  visible,  or  appeared  as 
a  transparent  cloud.  And  the  shadowy  figures 
became  all  in  motion,  and  the  din  and  uproar 
became  fiercer  and  fiercer ;  and  whether  the  whole 
were  an  animated  picture,  or  a  vision,  or  an  array 
of  embodied  spirits,  conjured  up  by  supernatural 
power,  no  one  present  could  tell.  They  beheld 
before  them  a  great  field  of  battle,  where  Chris- 
tians and  Moslems  were  engaged  in  deadly  con- 


12         THE  LEGEND   OF  DON  RODERICK. 

flfct.  They  heard  the  rush  and  tramp  of  steeds, 
the  blast  of  trump  and  clarion,  the  clash  of  cym- 
bal, and  the  stormy  din  of  a  thousand  drums. 
There  was  the  clash  of  swords,  and  maces,  and 
battle-axes,  with  the  whistling  of  arrows  and  the 
hurtling  of  darts  and  lances.  The  Christians 
quailed  before  the  foe ;  the  infidels  pressed  upon 
them  and  put  them  to  utter  rout;  the  standard 
of  the  cross  was  cast  down,  the  banner  of  Spain 
was  trodden  under  foot,  the  air  resounded  with 
shouts  of  triumph,  with  yells  of  fury,  and  with 
the  groans  of  dying  men.  Amidst  the  flying 
squadrons  King  Roderick  beheld  a  crowned  war- 
rior, whose  back  was  towards  him,  but  whose 
armor  and  device  were  his  own,  and  who  was 
mounted  on  a  white  steed  that  resembled  his  own 
war-horse  Orelia.  In  the  confusion  of  the  flight, 
the  warrior  was  dismounted,  and  was  no  longer 
to  be  seen,  and  Orelia  galloped  wildly  through 
the  field  of  battle  without  a  rider. 

Roderick  stayed  to  see  no  more,  but  rushed 
from  the  fatal  hall,  followed  by  his  terrified 
attendants.  They  fled  through  the  outer  cham- 
ber, where  the  gigantic  figure  with  the  whirling 
mace  had  disappeared  from  his  pedestal,  and,  on 
issuing  into  the  open  air,  they  found  the  two 
ancient  guardians  of  the  tower  lying  dead  at  the 
portal,  as  though  they  had  been  crushed  by  some 
mighty  blow.  All  nature,  which  had  been  clear 
and  serene,  was  now  in  wild  uproar.  The  hea- 
vens were  darkened  by  heavy  clouds ;  loud  bursts 
»f  thunder  rent  the  air,  and  the  earth  was  deluged 
raiii  etnd  rattling  hail. 


THE  LEGEND    OF  DON  RODERICK.         43 

The  king  ordered  that  the  iron  portal  should 
be  closed,  but  the  door  was  immovable,  and  the 
cavaliers  were  dismayed  by  the  tremendous  tur- 
moil and  the  mingled  shouts  and  groans  that  con- 
tinued to  prevail  within.  The  king  and  his  train 
hastened  back  to  Toledo,  pursued  and  pelted  by 
the  tempest.  The  mountains  shook  and  echoed 
with  the  thunder,  trees  were  uprooted  and  blown 
down,  and  the  Tagus  raged  and  roared  and  flowed 
above  its  banks.  It  seemed  to  the  affrighted 
courtiers  as  if  the  phantom  legions  of  the  tower 
had  issued  forth  and  mingled  with  the  storm ;  for 
amidst  the  claps  of  thunder  and  the  howling  of 
the  wind,  they  fancied  they  heard  the  sound  of 
the  drums  and  trumpets,  the  shouts  of  armies, 
and  the  rush  of  steeds.  Thus  beaten  by  tempest 
and  overwhelmed  with  horror,  the  king  and  his 
courtiers  arrived  at  Toledo,  clattering  across  the 
bridge  of  the  Tagus,  and  entering  the  gate  in 
headlong  confusion,  as  though  they  had  been  pur- 
sued by  an  enemy. 

In  the  morning  the  heavens  were  again  serene, 
and  all  nature  was  restored  to  tranquillity.  The 
king,  therefore,  issued  forth  with  his  cavaliers, 
and  took  the  road  to  the  tower,  followed  by  a 
great  multitude,  for  he  was  anxious  once  more  to 
close  the  iron  door,  and  shut  up  those  evils  that 
threatened  to  overwhelm  the  land.  But  lo !  on 
coming  in  sight  of  the  tower,  a  new  wonder  met 
their  eyes.  An  eagle  appeared  high  in  the  air, 
seeming  to  descend  from  heaven.  He  bore  in 
his  beak  a  burning  brand,  and,  lighting  on  the 
summit  of  the  tower,  fanned  the  fire  with  his 
wings.  In  a  little  while  the  edifice  burst  forth 


44         TEL  LEGEND    OF  DON  RODERICK. 

into  a  blaze,  as  though  it  had  been  built  of  rosin, 
and  the  flames  mounted  into  the  air  with  a  bril- 
liancy more  dazzling  than  the  sun  ;  nor  did  they 
cease  until  every  stone  was  consumed,  and  the 
whole  was  reduced  to  a  heap  of  ashes.  Then 
there  came  a  vast  flight  of  birds,  small  of  size 
and  sable  of  hue,  darkening  the  sky  like  a  cloud  ; 
and  they  descended,  and  wheeled  in  circles  round 
the  ashes,  causing  so  great  a  wind  with  their 
wings  that  the  whole  was  borne  up  into  the  air, 
and  scattered  throughout  all  Spain,  and  wherever 
a  particle  of  that  ashes  fell  it  was  as  a  stain  of 
blood.  It  is  furthermore  recorded  by  ancient 
men  and  writers  of  former  days,  that  all  those 
on  whom  this  dust  fell  were  afterwards  slain  in 
battle,  when  the  country  was  conquered  by  the 
Arabs,  and  that  the  destruction  of  this  necroman- 
tic tower  was  a  sign  and  token  of  the  approach- 
ing perdition  of  Spain. 

"  Let  all  those,"  concludes  the  cautious  friar, 
"  who  question  the  verity  of  this  most  marvelous 
occurrence,  consult  those  admirable  sources  of  our 
history,  the  chronicle  of  the  Moor  Rasis,  and  the 
work  entitled  "The  Fall  of  Spain,"  written  by 
the  Moor  Abulcasim  Tarif  Abentarique.  Let 
them  consult,  moreover,  the  venerable  historian 
Bleda,  and  the  cloud  of  other  Catholic  Spanish 
writers  who  have  treated  of  this  event,  and  they 
will  find  I  have  related  nothing  that  has  not  been 
printed  and  published  under  the  inspection  and 
sanction  of  our  holy  mother  Church.  God  alone 
knoweth  the  truth  of  these  things ;  I  speak 
nothing  but  what  has  been  handed  down  to  me 
from  times  of  old." 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

Count  Julian.  —  His  Fortunes  in  Africa.  —  He  hears  of  the 
Dishonor  of  his  Child.  —  His  Conduct  thereupon. 

|  HE  course  of  our  legendary  narration 
now  returns  to  notice  the  fortunes  of 
Count  Julian,  after  his  departure  from 
Toledo,  to  resume  his  government  on  the  coast 
of  Barbary.  He  left  the  Countess  Frandina  at 
Algeziras,  his  paternal  domain,  for  the  province 
under  his  command  was  threatened  with  invasion. 
In  fact,  when  he  arrived  at  Ceuta  he  found  his 
post  in  imminent  danger  from  the  all-conquering 
Moslems.  The  Arabs  of  the  East,  the  followers 
of  Mahomet,  having  subjugated  several  of  the 
most  potent  Oriental  kingdoms,  had  established 
their  seat  of  empire  at  Damascus,  where  at  this 
time  it  was  filled  by  Waled  Almanzor,  surnamed 
"The  Sword  of  God."  From  thence  the  tide 
of  Moslem  conquest  had  rolled  on  to  the  shores 
of  the  Atlantic,  so  that  all  Almagreb,  or  Western 
Africa,  had  submitted  to  the  standard  of  the 
Prophet,  with  the  exception  of  a  portion  of 
Tingitania,  lying  along  the  straits,  —  being  the 
province  held  by  the  Goths  of  Spain,  and  com- 
manded by  Count  Julian.  The  Arab  invaders 
were  a  hundred  thousand  strong,  most  of  them 


46         THE  LEGEND   OF  DON  RODERICK. 

veteran  troops,  seasoned  in  warfare  and  accustomed 
to  victory.  They  were  led  by  an  old  Arab  gen- 
eral, Muza  ben  Nosier,  to  whom  was  confided  the 
government  of  Almagreb,  —  most  of  which  he 
had  himself  conquered.  The  ambition  of  this  vet- 
eran was  to  make  the  Moslem  conquest  complete, 
.by  expelling  the  Christians  from  the  African  shores ; 
with  this  view  his  troops  menaced  the  few  remain- 
ing Gothic  fortresses  of  Tingitania,  while  he  him- 
self sat  down  in  person  before  the  walls  of  Ceuta. 
The  Arab  chieftain  had  been  rendered  confident 
by  continual  success,  and  thought  nothing  could 
resist  his  arms  and  the  sacred  standard  of  the 
Prophet.  Impatient  of  the  tedious  delays  of  a 
siege,  he  led  his  troops  boldly  against  the  rock- 
built  towers  of  Ceuta,  and  attempted  to  take  the 
place  by  storm.  The  onset  was  fierce,  and  the 
struggle  desperate  :  the  swarthy  sons  of  the  desert 
were  light  and  vigorous,  and  of  fiery  spirit ;  but 
the  Goths,  inured  to  danger  on  this  frontier,  re- 
tained the  stubborn1  valor  of  their  race,  so  im- 
paired among  their  brethren  in  Spain.  They 
were  commanded,  too,  by  one  skilled  in  warfare 
and  ambitious  of  renown.  After  a  vehement  con- 
flict, the  Moslem  assailants  were  repulsed  from  all 
points,  and  driven  from  the  walls.  Don  Julian 
sallied  forth  and  harassed  them  in  their  retreat, 
and  so  severe  was  the  carnage  that  the  veteran 
Muza  was  fain  to  break  up  his  camp  and  retire 
confounded  from  the  siege. 

The  victory  at  Ceuta  resounded  throughout 
Tingitania,  and  spread  universal  joy  On  every 
side  were  heard  shouts  of  exultation,  mingled  with 


THE  LEGEND  OF  DON  RODERICK.    47 

praises  of  Count  Julian.  He  was  hailed  by  the 
people,  wherever  he  went,  as  their  deliverer,  and 
blessings  were  invoked  upon  his  head.  The  heart 
of  Count  Julian  was  lifted  up,  and  his  spirit 
swelled  within  him ;  but  it  was  with  noble  and 
virtuous  pride,  for  he  was  conscious  of  having 
merited  the  blessings  of  his  country. 

'In  the  midst  of  his  exultation,  and  while  the 
rejoicings  of  the  people  were  yet  sounding  in  his 
ears,  the  page  arrived  who  bore  the  letter  from 
his  unfortunate  daughter. 

"  What  tidings  from  the  king  ?  "  said  the  count, 
as  the  page  knelt  before  him.  "  None,  my  lord," 
replied  the  youth ;  "  but  I  bear  a  letter  sent  in  all 
haste  by  the  Lady  Florinda." 

He  took  the  letter  from  his  bosom  and  pre- 
sented it  to  his  lord.  As  Count  Julian  read  it,  his 
countenance  darkened  and  fell.  "  This,"  said  he, 
bitterly,  "  is  my  reward  for  serving  a  tyrant ;  and 
these  are  the  honors  heaped  on  me  by  my  country 
while  fighting  its  battles  in  a  foreign  land.  May 
evil  overtake  me,  and  infamy  rest  upon  my  name, 
if  I  cease  until  I  have  full  measure  of  revenge." 

Count  Julian  was  vehement  hi  his  passions,  and 
took  no  counsel  in  his  wrath.  His  spirit  was 
haughty  in  the  extreme,  but  destitute  of  true 
magnanimity,  and  when  once  wounded,  turned  to 
gall  and  venom.  A  dark  and  malignant  hatred 
entered  into  his  soul,  not  only  against  Don  Rod- 
erick, but  against  all  Spain ;  he  looked  upon  it 
as  the  scene  of  his  disgrace,  a  land  in  which  his 
family  was  dishonored,  and,  in  seeking  to  revenge 
the  wrongs  he  had  suffered  from  his  sovereign,  he 


48         THE  LEGEND    OF  DON  RODERICK. 

meditated  against  his  native  country  one  of  the 
blackest  schemes  of  treason  that  ever  entered  into 
the  human  heart. 

The  plan  of  Count  Julian  was  to  hurl  King 
Roderick  from  his  throne,  and  to  deliver  all  Spain 
into  th<  hands  of  the  infidels.  In  concerting  and 
executijg  this  treacherous  plot,  it  seemed  as  if 
his  whole  nature  was  changed ;  every  lofty  and 
generous  sentiment  was  stifled,  and  he  stooped  to 
the  meanest  dissimulation.  His  first  object  was, 
to  extricate  his  family  from  the  power  of  the  king 
and  to  remove  it  from  Spain  before  his  treason 
should  be  known  ;  his  next,  to  deprive  the  country 
of  its  remaining  means  of  defense  against  an  in- 
vader. 

With  these  dark  purposes  at  heart,  but  with 
an  open  and  serene  countenance,  he  crossed  to 
Spain  and  repaired  to  the  court  at  Toledo. 
Wherever  he  came  he  was  hailed  with  acclama- 
tion as  a  victorious  general,  and  appeared  in  the 
presence  of  his  sovereign  radiant  with  the  vic- 
tory at  Ceuta.  Concealing  from  King  Roderick 
his  knowledge  of  the  outrage  upon  his  house,  he 
professed  nothing  but  the  most  devoted  loyalty 
and  affection. 

The  king  loaded  him  with  favors  ;  seeking  to 
appease  his  own  conscience  by  heaping  honors 
upon  the  father  in  atonement  of  the  deadly 
wrong  inflicted  upon  his  child.  He  regarded 
Count  Julian,  also,  as  a  man  able  and  experienced 
in  warfare,  and  took  his  advice  in  all  matters 
relating  to  the  military  affairs  of  the  kingdom. 
The  count  magnified  the  dangers  that  threatened 


THE  LEGEND   OF  DON  RODERICK.        49 

the  frontier  under  his  command,  and  prevailed 
upon  the  king  to  send  thither  the  best  horses  and 
arms  remaining  from  the  time  of  Witiza,  there 
being  no  need  of  them  in  the  centre  of  Spain, 
in  its  present  tranquil  state.  The  residue,  at  his 
suggestion,  was  stationed  on  the  frontiers  of 
Gallia ;  so  that  the  kingdom  was  left  almost 
wholly  without  defense  against  any  sudden  irrup- 
tion from  the  south. 

Having  thus  artfully  arranged  his  plans,  and 
all  things  being  prepared  for  his  return  to  Africa, 
he  obtained  permission  to  withdraw  his  daughter 
from  the  court,  and  leave  her  with  her  mother, 
the  Countess  Frandin'a,  who,  he  pretended,  lay 
dangerously  ill  at  Algeziras.  Count  Julian  issued 
out  of  the  gate  of  the  city,  followed  by  a  shining 
band  of  chosen  followers,  while  beside  him,  on  a 
palfrey,  rode  the  pale  and  weeping  Florinda.  The 
populace  hailed  and  blessed  him  as  he  passed,  but 
his  heart  turned  from  them  with  loathing.  As 
he  crossed  the  bridge  of  the  Tagus  he  looked 
back  with  a  dark  brow  upon  Toledo,  and  raised 
his  mailed  hand  and  shook  it  at  the  royal  palace 
of  King  Roderick,  which  crested  the  rocky  height. 
"  A  father's  curse,"  said  he,  "  be  upon  thee  and 
thine !  may  desolation  fall  upon  thy  dwelling,  and 
confusion  and  defeat  upon  thy  realm  ! " 

In  his  journeyings  through  the  country,  he 
looked  round  him  with  a  malignant  eye  :  the  pipe 
of  the  shepherd  and  the  song  of  the  husbandman 
were  as  discord  to  his  soul ;  every  sight  and  sound 
of  human  happiness  sickened  him  at  heart ;  and, 
ir  the  bitterness  of  his  spirit,  he  prayed  that  he 
4 


50         THE  LEGEND   OF  DON  RODERICK. 

might  see  the  whole  scene  of  prosperity  laid 
waste  with  fire  and  sword  by  the  invader. 

The  story  of  domestic  outrage  and  disgrace  had 
already  been  made  known  to  the  Countess  Fran- 
dina.  When  the  hapless  Florinda  came  in  pres- 
ence of  her  mother,  she  fell  on  her  neck,  and  hid 
her  face  in  her  bosom,  and  wept ;  but  the  count- 
ess shed  never  a  tear,  for  she  was  a  woman 
haughty  of  spirit  and  strong  of  heart.  She 
looked  her  husband  sternly  in  the  face.  "  Perdi- 
tion light  upon  thy  head,"  said  she,  "  if  thou  sub- 
mit to  this  dishonor.  For  my  own  part,  woman 
as  I  am,  I  will  assemble  the  followers  of  my 
house,  nor  rest  until  rivers  of  blood  have  washed 
away  this  stain." 

"  Be  satisfied,"  replied  the  count ;  "  vengeance 
is  on  foot,  and  will  be  sure  and  ample." 

Being  now  in  his  own  domains,  surrounded  by 
his  relatives  and  friends,  Count  Julian  went  on 
to  complete  his  web  of  treason.  In  this  he  was 
aided  by  his  brother-in-law,  Oppas,  the  Bishop  of 
Seville,  —  a  man  dark  and  perfidious  as  the  night, 
but  devout  in  demeanor,  and  smooth  and  plaus- 
ible in  council.  This  artful  prelate  had  contrived 
to  work  himself  into  the  entire  confidence  of  the 
king,  and  had  even  prevailed  upon  him  to  per- 
mit his  nephews,  Evan  and  Siseburto,  the  exiled 
sons  of  Witiza,  to  return  into  Spain.  They  re- 
sided in  Andalusia,  and  were  now  looked  to  as  fit 
instruments  in  the  present  traitorous  conspiracy. 

By  the  advice  of  the  bishop,  Count  Julian 
called  a  secret  meeting  of  his  relatives  and  ad- 
herents an  a  wild  rocky  mountain,  not  far  from 


THE  LEGEND    OF  DON  RODERICK.        5l 

Consuegra,  and  which  still  bears  the  Moorish 
appellation  of  "  La  Sierra  de  Calderin,"  or  the 
Mountain  of  Treason.1  When  all  were  assembled. 
Count  Julian  appeared  among  them,  accompanied 
by  the  bishop  and  by  the  Countess  Frandina. 
Then  gathering  around  him  those  who  were  of 
his  blood  and  kindred,  he  revealed  the  outrage 
that  had  been  offered  to  their  house.  He  rep- 
resented to  them  that  Roderick  was  their  legiti- 
mate enemy ;  that  he  had  dethroned  Witiza,  their 
relation,  and  had  now  stained  the  honor  of  one  of 
the  most  illustrious  daughters  of  their  line.  The 
Countess  Frandina  seconded  his  words.  She 
was  a  woman  majestic  in  person  and  eloquent  of 
tongue,  and  being  inspired  by  a  mother's  feelings, 
her  speech  aroused  the  assembled  cavaliers  to 
fury. 

The  count  took  advantage  of  the  excitement 
of  the  moment  to  unfold  his  plan.  The  main 
object  was  to  dethrone  Don  Roderick,  and  give 
the  crown  to  the  sons  of  the  late  King  Witiza. 
By  this  means  they  would  visit  the  sins  of  the 
tyrant  upon  his  head,  and,  at  the  same  time,  re- 
store the  regal  honors  to  their  line.  For  this 
purpose  their  own  force  would  be  insufficient, 
but  they  might  procure  the  aid  of  Muza  ben 
Nosier,  the  Arabian  general  in  Mauritania,  who 
would  no  doubt  gladly  send  a  part  of  his  troops 
into  Spain  to  assist  in  the  enterprise. 

The  plot  thus  suggested  by  Count  Julian 
received  the  unholy  uariction  of  Bishop  Oppas, 
who  engaged  to  aid  it  secretly  with  all  his  in- 
1  Bleda,  cap.  5. 


5?         THE  LLGENL    OF  DON  RODERICK. 

fluence  and  means  ;  for  lie  had  great  wealth  and 
possessions,  and  many  retainers.  The  example 
of  the  reverend  prelate  determined  all  who  might 
otherwise  -have  wavered,  and  they  bound  them- 
selves by  dreadful  oaths  to  be  true  to  the  con- 
spiracy. Count  Julian  undertook  to  proceed  to 
Africa,  and  seek  the  camp  of  Muza,  to  negotiate 
for  his  aid,  while  the  bishop  was  to  keep  about 
the  person  of  King  Roderick,  and  lead  him  into 
the  net  prepared  for  him. 

All  things  being  thus  arranged,  Count  Julian 
gathered  together  his  treasure,  and  taking  his 
wife  and  daughter  and  all  his  household,  aban- 
doned the  country  he  meant  to  betray,  —  em- 
barking at  Malaga  for  Ceuta.  The  gate  in  the 
wall  of  that  city,  through  which  they  went  forth, 
continued  for  ages  to  bear  the  name  of  Puerta 
de  la  Cava,  or  the  Gate  of  the  Harlot ;  for  such 
was  the  opprobrious  and  unmerited  appellation 
bestowed  by  the  Moors  on  the  unhappy  Flo- 
rrida.1 

1  Bleda,  cap.  4. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

Secret  Visit  of  Count  Julian  to  the  Arab  Camp.  —  First  Ex- 
pedition of  Taric  El  Tuerto. 

] HEN  Count  Julian  had  placed  his  family 
in  security  in  Ceuta,  surrounded  by 
soldiery  devoted  to  his  fortunes,  he  took 
with  him  a  few  confidential  followers  and  departed 
in  secret  for  the  camp  of  the  Arabian  Emir,  Muza 
ben  Nosier.  The  camp  was  spread  out  in  one  of 
those  pastoral  valleys  which  lie  at  the  feet  of  the 
Barbary  Hills,  with  the  great  range  of  the  Atlas 
Mountains  towering  in  the  distance.  In  the 
motley  army  here  assembled  were  warriors  of 
every  tribe  and  nation,  that  had  been  united  by 
pact  or  conquest  in  the  cause  of  Islam.  There 
were  those  who  had  followed  Muza  from  the  fertile 
regions  of  Egypt,  across  the  deserts  of  Barca, 
and  those  who  had  joined  his  standard  from  among 
the  sunburnt  tribes  of  Mauritania.  There  were 
Saracen  and  Tartar,  Syrian  and  Copt,  and  swarthy 
Moor ;  sumptuous  warriors  from  the  civilized  cities 
of  the  East,  and  the  gaunt  and  predatory  rovers 
of  the  desert.  The  greater  part  of  the  army, 
however,  was  composed  of  Arabs;  but  differing 
greatly  from  the  first  rude  hordes  that  enlisted 
under  the  banner  of  Mahomet.  Almost  a  century 


54         THE  LEGEND   OF  DON  RODERICK. 

of  continual  wars  with  the  cultivated  nations  of 
the  East  had  rendered  them  accomplished  war- 
riors ;  and  the  occasional  sojourn  in  luxurious 
countries  and  populous  cities,  had  acquainted  them 
with  the  arts  and  habits  of  civilized  life.  Still 
the  roving,  restless,  and  predatory  habits  of  the 
genuine  son  of  Ishmael  prevailed,  in  defiance  of 
every  change  of  clime  or  situation. 

Count  Julian  found  the  Arab  conqueror  Muza 
surrounded  by  somewhat  of  Oriental  state  and 
splendor.  He  was  advanced  in  life,  but  of  a  noble 
presence,  and  concealed  his  age  by  tingeing  his  hair 
and  beard  with  henna.  The  count  assumed  an 
air  of  soldier-like  frankness  and  decision  when  he 
came  into  his  presence.  "Hitherto,"  said  he, 
"  we  have  been  enemies ;  but  I  come  to  thee  in 
peace,  and  it  rests  with  thee  to  make  me  the  most 
devoted  of  thy  friends.  I  have  no  longer  coun- 
try or  king.  Roderick  the  Goth  is  an  usurper, 
and  my  deadly  foe ;  he  has  wounded  my  honor  in 
the  teriderest  point,  and  my  country  affords  me 
no  redress.  Aid  me  in  my  vengeance,  and  I  will 
deliver  all  Spain  into  thy  hands,  —  a  land  far  ex- 
ceeding in  fertility  and  wealth  all  the  vaunted  re- 
gions thou  hast  conquered  in  Tingitania." 

The  heart  of  Muza  leaped  with  joy  at  these 
words,  for  he  was  a  bold  and  ambitious  conqueror, 
and,  having  overrun  all  western  Africa,  had  often 
cast  a  wistful  eye  to  the  mountains  of  Spain,  as 
he  beheld  them  brightening  beyond  the  waters  of 
the  strait.  Still  he  possessed  the  caution  of  a 
veteran,  and  feared  to  engage  in  an  enterprise  of 
such  moment,  and  to  carry  his  arms  into  another 


THE  LEGEND   OF  DON  RODERICK.        55 

uivision  of  the  globe,  without  the  approbation  of 
his  sovereign.  Having  drawn  from  Count  Julian 

O  O 

the  particulars  of  his  plan,  and  of  the  means  he 
possessed  to  carry  it  into  effect,  he  laid  them  be- 
fore his  confidential  counselors  and  officers,  and 
demanded  their  opinion.  "  These  words  of  Count 
Julian,"  said  he,  "  may  be  false  and  deceitful ;  or 
he  may  not  possess  the  power  to  fulfill  his  promises. 
The  whole  may  be  a  pretended  treason  to  draw 
us  on  to  our  destruction.  It  is  more  natural  that 
he  should  be  treacherous  to  us  than  to  his  coun- 

*y." 

Among  the  generals  of  Muza,  was  a  gaunt, 
swarthy  veteran,  scarred  with  wounds,  —  a  very 
Arab,  whose  great  delight  was  roving  and  desper- 
ate enterprise,  and  who  cared  for  nothing  beyond 
his  steed,  his  lance,  and  scimetar.  He  was  a  native 
of  Damascus ;  his  name  was  Taric  ben  Zeyad, 
but,  from  having  lost  an  eye,  he  was  known  among 
the  Spaniards  by  the  appellation  of  Taric  el 
Tuerto,  or  Taric  the  one-eyed. 

The  hot  blood  of  this  veteran  Ishmaelite  was 
in  a  ferment  when  he  heard  of  a  new  country  to 
invade  and  vast  regions  .to  subdue,  and  he  dreaded 
lest  the  cautious  hesitation  of  Muza  should  permit 
the  glorious  prize  to  escape  them.  "  You  speak 
doubtingly,"  said  he,  "  of  the  words  of  this  Chris- 
tian cavalier,  but  their  truth  is  easily  to  be  as- 
certained. Give  me  four  galleys  and  a  handful 
of  men,  and  I  will  depart  with  this  Count  Julian, 
skirt  the  Christian  coast,  and  bring  thee  back 
tidings  of  the  land,  and  of  his  means  to  put  it  in 
our  power." 


56         THE  LEGEND   OF  DON  RODERICK. 

The  words  of  the  veteran  pleased  Muza  ben 
Nosier,  and  he  gave  his  consent ;  and  Taric  de- 
parted with  four  galleys,  and  five  hundred  men, 
guided  by  the  traitor  Julian.1  This  first  expedition 
of  the  Arabs  against  Spain,  took  place,  according 
to  certain  historians,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord 
seven  hundred  and  twelve  ;  though  others  diffei 
on  this  point,  as  indeed  they  do  upon  almost  every 
point  in  this  early  period  of  Spanish  history.  The 
date  to  which  the  judicious  chroniclers  incline,  is 
that  of  seven  hundred  and  ten,  in  the  month  of 
July.  It  would  appear  from  some  authorities, 
also,  that  the  galleys  of  Taric  cruised  along  the 
coasts  of  Andalusia  and  Lusitania,  under  the 
feigned  character  of  merchant  barks,  nor  is  this 
at  all  improbable,  while  they  were  seeking  merely 
to  observe  the  land,  and  get  a  knowledge  of  the 
harbors.  Wherever  they  touched,  Count  Julian 
dispatched  emissaries  to  assemble  his  friends  and 
adherents  at  an  appointed  place.  They  gathered 
together  secretly  at  Gezira  Alhadra,  that  is  to 
say,  the  Green  Island,  where  they  held  a  confer- 
ence with  Count  Julian  in  presence  of  Taric  ben 
Zeyad.2  Here  they  again  avowed  their  readiness 
to  flock  to  his  standard  whenever  it  should  be 
openly  raised,  and  made  known  their  various  prep- 
arations for  a  rebellion.  Taric  was  convinced, 
by  all  that  he  had  seen  and  heard,  that  Count 
Julian  had  not  deceived  them,  either  as  to  his  dis- 
position or  his  means  to  betray  his  country.  In- 

1  Beuter,  Cron.   Gen.  de  Espana,  L.  1,  c.  28.    MarraoJ 
Descrip.  de  Africa,  L.  2,  c.  10. 

2  Bleda,  Cron.  c.  5. 


THE  LEGEND   OF  DON  RODERICK.        57 

dulging  his  Arab  inclinations,  he  made  an  inroad 
into  the  land,  collected  great  spoil  and  many 
captives,  and  bore  off  his  plunder  in  triumph  to 
Muza,  as  a  specimen  of  the  riches  to  be  gained 
by  the  conquest  of  the  Christian  land.1 

Dam.  Arab,  part  1,  c.  8. 


CHAPTER  X. 

Letter   of  Muza  to    the    Caliph.  —  Second   Expedition    of 
Taric  el  Tuerto. 

|N  hearing  the  tidings  brought  by  Taric 
el  Tuerto,  and  beholding  the  spoil  he 
had  collected,  Muza  wrote  a  letter  to  the 
Caliph  Waled  Almanzor,  setting  forth  the  traitor- 
ous proffer  of  Count  Julian,  and  the  probability, 
through  his  means,  of  making  a  successful  invasion 
of  Spain.  "  A  new  land, "  said  he,  "  spreads  it- 
self out  before  our  delighted  eyes,  and  invites 
our  conquest :  a  land,  too,  that  equals  Syria  in 
the  fertility  of  its  soil  and  the  serenity  of  its  sky ; 
Yemen,  or  Arabia  the  Happy,  in  its  delightful 
temperature ;  India,  in  its  flowers  and  spices ; 
Hegiaz,  in  its  fruits  and  flowers  ;  Cathay,  in  its 
precious  minerals  ;  and  Aden,  in  the  excellence 
of  its  ports  and  harbors.  It  is  populous  also, 
and  wealthy ;  having  many  splendid  cities  and 
majestic  monuments  of  ancient  art.  What  is  to 
prevent  this  glorious  land  from  becoming  the  in- 
heritance of  the  faithful  ?  Already  we  have  over- 
come the  tribes  of  Berbery,  of  Zab,  of  Derar  of 
Zaara,  Mazamuda  and  Sus,  and  the  victorious 
standard  of  Islam  floats  on  the  towers  of  Tangier. 
But  four  leagues  of  sea  separate  us  from  the  op- 


THE  LEGEND   OF  DON  RODERICK.        59 

posite  coast.  One  word  from  my  sovereign,  and 
the  conquerors  of  Africa  will  pour  their  legions 
into  Andalusia,  rescue  it  from  the  domination  of 
the  unbeliever,  and  subdue  it  to  the  law  of  the 
Koran."  l 

The  Caliph  was  overjoyed  with  the  contents  of 
the  letter.  "  God  is  great ! "  exclaimed  he,  "  aiid 
Mahomet  is  his  prophet !  It  has  been  foretold  by 
the  ambassador  of  God  that  his  law  should  extend 
to  the  ultimate  parts  of  the  West,  and  be  carried 
by  the  sword  into  new  and  unknown  regions. 
Behold  another  land  is  opened  for  the  triumphs 
of  the  faithful.  It  is  the  will  of  Allah,  and  be 
his  sovereign  will  obeyed."  So  the  Caliph  sent 
missives  to  Muza,  authorizing  him  to  undertake 
the  conquest. 

Upon  this  there  was  a  great  stir  of  preparation, 
and  numerous  vessels  were  assembled  and  equipped 
at  Tangier  to  convey  the  invading  army  across  the 
straits.  Twelve  thousand  men  were  chosen  for 
this  expedition,  —  most  of  them  light  Arabian 
troops,  seasoned  in  warfare,  and  fitted  for  hardy 
and  rapid  enterprise.  Among  them  were  many 
horsemen,  mounted  on  fleet  Arabian  steeds.  The 
whole  was  put  under  the  command  of  the  veteran 
Taric  el  Tuerto,  or  the  one-eyed,  in  whom  Muza 
reposed  implicit  confidence  as  in  a  second  self. 
Taric  accepted  the  command  with  joy ;  his  martial 
fire  was  roused  at  the  idea  of  having  such  an 
army  under  his  sole  command,  and  such  a  coun- 
try to  overrun,  and  he  secretly  determined  never 
to  return  unless  victorious. 

i  Conde,  part  1,  c.  8. 


60         THE  LEGEND   OF  DON  RODERICK. 

He  chose  a  dark  night  to  convey  his  troopa 
across  the  Straits  of  Hercules,  and  by  break  of 
day  they  began  to  disembark  at  Tarifa  before  the 
country  had  time  to  take  the  alarm.  A  few 
Christians  hastily  assembled  from  the  neighbor- 
hood and  opposed  their  landing,  but  were  easily 
put  to  flight.  Taric  stood  on  the  sea-side,  and 
watched  until  the  last  squadron  had  landed,  and 
all  the  horses,  armor,  and  munitions  of  war  were 
brought  on  shore ;  he  then  gave  orders  to  set 
fire  to  the  ships.  The  Moslems  were  struck 
with  terror  when  they  beheld  their  fleet  wrapped 
in  flames  and  smoke,  and  sinking  beneath  the 
waves.  "  How  shall  we  escape,"  exclaimed  they, 
"  if  the  fortune  of  war  should  be  against  us  ? " 
u  There  is  no  escape  for  the  coward,"  cried  Taric ; 
"  the  brave  man  thinks  of  none ;  your  only  chance 
is  victory."  "  But  how  without  ships  shall  we 
ever  return  to  our  homes  ?  "  "  Your  homes,"  re- 
plied Taric,  "  are  before  you ;  but  you  must  win 
them  with  your  swords." 

While  Taric  was  yet  talking  with  his  followers, 
says  one  of  the  ancient  chroniclers,  a  Christian 
female  was  descried  waving  a  white  pennon  on  a 
reed,  in  signal  of  peace.  On  being  brought  into 
the  presence  of  Taric,  she  prostrated  herself  be- 
fore him.  "  Senor, "  said  she,  "  I  am  an  ancient 
woman  ;  and  it  is  now  fully  sixty  years  past  and 
gone  since,  as  I  was  keeping  vigils  one  winter's 
night  by  the  fireside,  I  heard  my  fathtsr,  who  was 
an  exceeding  old  man,  read  a  prophecy  said  to 
have  been  written  by  a  holy  friar ;  and  this  was 
the  purport  of  the  prophecy,  that  a  time  would 


THE  LEGEND   OF  DON  RODERICK.        61 

arrive  when  our  country  would  be  invaded  and 
conquered  by  a  people  from  Africa  of  a  strange 
garb,  a  strange  tongue,  and  a  strange  religion. 
They  were  to  be  led  by  a  strong  and  valiant  cap- 
tain, who  would  be  known  by  these  signs :  on  his 
right  shoulder  he  would  have  a  hairy  mole,  and 
his  right  arm  would  be  much  longer  than  the  left, 
and  of  such  length  as  to  enable  him  to  cover  his 
knee  with  his  hand  without  bending  his  body." 

Taric  listened  to  the  old  beldame  with  grave 
attention,  and  when  she  had  concluded,  he  laid 
bare  his  shoulder,  and  lo  !  there  was  the  mole  as 
it  had  been  described  ;  his  right  arm,  also,  was  in 
verity  found  to  exceed  the  other  in  length,  though 
not  to  the  degree  that  had  been  mentioned.  Upon 
this  the  Arab  host  shouted  for  joy,  and  felt  as- 
sured of  conquest. 

The  discreet  Antonio  Agapida,  though  he  re- 
cords this  circumstance  as  it  is  set  down  in  ancient 
chronicle,  yet  withholds  his  belief  from  the  pre- 
tended prophecy,  considering  the  whole  a  cunning 
device  of  Taric  to  increase  the  courage  of  his 
troops.  "  Doubtless,"  says  he,  "  there  was  a 
collusion  between  this  ancient  sibyl  and  the  crafty 
son  of  Ishmael ;  for  these  infidel  leaders  were  full 
of  damnable  inventions  to  work  upon  the  super- 
stitious fancies  of  their  followers,  and  to  inspire 
them  with  a  blind  confidence  in  the  success  of 
their  arms." 

Be  this  as  it  may,  the  veteran  Taric  took  ad- 
vantage of  the  excitement  of  his  soldiery,  and  led 
them  forward  to  gain  possession  of  a  stronghold, 
which  was  in  a  mannei  the  key  to  all  the  adja- 


62          THE  LEGEND   OF  DON  RODERICK. 

cent  country.  This  was  a  lofty  mountain  or  prom- 
ontory almost  surrounded  by  the  sea,  and  connected 
with  the  main-land  by  a  narrow  isthmus.  It  was 
called  the  rock  of  Calpe,  and,  like  the  opposite 
rock  of  Ceuta,  commanded  the  entrance  to  the 
Mediterranean  Sea.  Here,  in  old  times,  Hercules 
had  set  up  one  of  his  pillars,  and  the  city  of  He- 
raclea  had  been  built. 

As  Taric  advanced  against  this  promontory,  he 
was  opposed  by  a  hasty  levy  of  the  Christians, 
who  had  assembled  under  the  banner  of  a  Gothic 
noble  of  great  power  and  importance,  whose  do- 
mains lay  along  the  mountainous  coast  of  the 
Mediterranean.  The  name  of  this  Christian 
cavalier  was  Theodomir,  but  he  has  universally 
been  called  Tadmir  by  the  Arabian  historians, 
and  is  renowned  as  being  the  first  commander 
that  made  any  stand  against  the  inroads  of  the 
Moslems.  He  was  about  forty  years  of  age ; 
hardy,  prompt,  and  sagacious ;  and  had  all  the 
Gothic  nobles  been  equally  vigilant  and  shrewd 
in  their  defense,  the  banner  of  Islam  would  never 
have  triumphed  over  the  land. 

Theodomir  had  but  seventeen  hundred  men 
under  his  command,  and  these  but  rudely  armet  ; 
yet  he  made  a  resolute  stand  against  the  army  01 
Taric,  and  defended  the  pass  to  the  promontory 
with  great  valor.  He  was  at  length  obliged  to 
retreat,  and  Taric  advanced  and  planted  his  stan- 
dard on  the  rock  of  Calpe,  and  fortified  it  as  his 
stronghold,  and  as  the  means  of  securing  an  en- 
trance into  the  land.  To  commemorate  his  first 
victory,  he  changed  the  name  of  the  promontory, 


THE  LEGEND    OF  DON  RODERICK.         63 

and  called  it  Gibel  Taric,  or  the  Mountain  of 
Taric,  but  in  process  of  time  the  name  has  grad- 
ually been  altered  to  Gibraltar. 

Li  the  mean  time,  the  patriotic  chieftain  Theo- 
domir,  having  collected  his  routed  forces,  en- 
camped with  them  on  the  skirts  of  the  mountains, 
and  summoned  the  country  round  to  join  his 
standard.  He  sent  off  missives  in  all  speed  to 
the  king,  imparting  in  brief  and  blunt  terms  the 
news  of  the  invasion,  and  craving  assistance  with 
equal  frankness.  "  Sen  or,"  said  he,  in  his  letter, 
"  the  legions  of  Africa  are  upon  us,  but  whether 
they  come  from  heaven  or  earth  I  know  not. 
They  seem  to  have  fallen  from  the  clouds,  for 
they  have  no  ships.  We  have  been  taken  by 
surprise,  overpowered  by  numbers,  and  obliged 
to  retreat ;  and  they  have  fortified  themselves  in 
our  territory.  Send  us  aid,  Sefior,  with  instant 
speed,  or  rather,  come  yourself  to  our  assist- 
ance." * 

1  Coiide,  part  1,  c.  9. 


CHAPTER  XL 

Measures  of  Don  Roderick  on  Hearing  of  the  Invasion. — 
Expedition  of  Ataulpho.  —  Vision  of  Taric. 

JHEN  Don  Roderick  heard  that  legions 
of  turbaned  troops  had  poured  into  the 
land  from  Africa,  he  called  to  mind  the 
visions  and  predictions  of  the  necromantic  tower, 
and  great  fear  came  upon  him.  But,  though 
sunk  from  his  former  hardihood  and  virtue, 
though  enervated  by  indulgence,  and  degraded  in 
spirit  by  a  consciousness  of  crime,  he  was  reso- 
lute of  soul,  and  roused  himself  to  meet  the 
coming  danger.  He  summoned  a  hasty  levy  of 
horse  and  foot,  amounting  to  forty  thousand ;  but 
now  were  felt  the  effects  of  the  crafty  counsel  of 
Count  Julian,  for  the  best  of  the  horses  and 
armor  intended  for  the  public  service  had  been 
sent  into  Africa,  and  were  really  in  possession 
of  the  traitors.  Many  nobles,  it  is  true,  took  the 
field  with  the  sumptuous  array  with  which  they 
had  been  accustom^  ^  appear  at  tournaments 
and  jousts,  but  most  of  their  vassals  were  desti- 
tute of  weapons,  and  cased  in  cuirasses  of  leather, 
or  suits  of  armor  almost  consumed  by  rust.  They 
were  without  discipline  or  animation ;  and  their 
corses,  like  themselves,  pampered  by  slothful 


THE  LEGEND    VF  DON  RODERICK.        65 

peace,  were  little  fitted  to  bear  the  heat,  the  dust, 
and  toil  of  long  campaigns. 

This  array  Don  Roderick  put  under  the  com- 
mand of  his  kinsman  Ataulpho,  a  prince  of  the 
royal  blood  of  the  Goths,  and  of  a  noble  and 
generous  nature ;  and  he  ordered  him  to  march 
With  all  speed  to  meet  the  foe,  and  to  recruit  his 
forces  on  the  way  with  the  troops  of  Theodomir. 

In  the  mean  time,  Taric  el  Tuerto  had  received 
large  reinforcements  from  Africa,  and  the  adher- 
ents of  Count  Julian  and  all  those  discontented 
with  the  sway  of  Don  Roderick  had  flocked  to 
his  standard;  for  many  were  deceived  by  the 
representations  of  Count  Julian,  and  thought  that 
the  Arabs  had  come  to  aid  him  in  placing  the 
sons  of  Witiza  upon  the  throne.  Guided  by  the 
count,  the  troops  of  Taric  penetrated  into  various 
parts  of  the  country,  and  laid  waste  the  land; 
bringing  back  loads  of  spoil  to  their  stronghold 
at  the  rock  of  Calpe. 

The  Prince  Ataulpho  marched  with  his  army 
through  Andalusia,  and  was  joined  by  Theodomir 
with  his  troops ;  he  met  with  various  detachments 
of  the  enemy  foraging  the  country,  and  had  sev- 
eral bloody  skirmishes ;  but  he  succeeded  in  driv- 
ing them  before  him,  and  they  retreated  to  the 
rock  of  Calpe,  where  Taric  lay  gathered  up  with 
the  main  body  of  his  army. 

The  prince  encamped  not  far  from  the  bay 
which  spreads  itself  out  before  the  promontory 
In  the  evening  he  dispatched  the  veteran  Theo- 
domir, with  a  trumpet,  to  demand  a  parley  of 
the  Arab  chieftain,  who  received  the  envoy  in 


66         THE  LEGEND   OF  DON  RODERICK. 

his  tent,  surrounded  by  his  captains.  Theodomir 
was  frank  and  abrupt  in  speech,  for  the  most  of 
his  life  had  been  passed  far  from  courts.  He  de- 
livered, in  round  terms,  the  message  of  the  Prince 
Ataulpho ;  upbraiding  the  Arab  general  with  his 
wanton  invasion  of  the  land,  and  summoning  him 
to  surrender  his  army  or  to  expect  no  mercy. 

The  single  eye  of  Taric  el  Tuerto  glowed  like 
a  coal  of  fire  at  this  message.  "  Tell  your  com- 
mander,'* replied  he,  "that  I  have  crossed  the 
strait  to  conquer  Spain,  nor  will  I  return  until  I 
have  accomplished  my  purpose.  Tell  him  I  have 
men  skilled  in  war,  and  armed  in  proof,  with 
whose  aid  I  trust  soon  to  give  a  good  account  of 
his  rabble  host." 

A  murmur  of  applause  passed  through  the 
assemblage  of  Moslem  captains.  Theodomir 
glanced  on  them  a  look  of  defiance,  but  his  eye 
rested  on  a  renegado  Christian,  one  of  his  own 
ancient  comrades,  and  a  relation  of  Count  Julian. 
"  As  to  you,  Don  Graybeard,"  said  he,  "  you  who 
turn  apostate  in  your  declining  age,  I  here  pro- 
nounce you  a  traitor  to  your  God,  your  king,  and 
country ;  and  stand  ready  to  prove  it  this  instant 
upon  your  body,  if  field  be  granted  me." 

The  traitor  knight  was  stung  with  rage  at 
these  words,  for  truth  rendered  them  piercing  to 
the  heart.  He  would  have  immediately  answered 
to  the  challenge,  but  Taric  forbade  it,  and  ordered 
that  the  Christian  envoy  should  be  conducted 
from  the  camp.  "  'T  is  well,"  replied  Theodomir ; 
'*  God  will  give  me  the  field  which  you  deny. 
Let  yon  hoary  apostate  look  to  himself  to-morrow 


THE  LEGEND   OF  DON  RODERICK.        67 

in  the  battle,  for  I  pledge  myself  to  use  my  lance 
upon  no  other  foe  until  it  has  shed  his  Ulood 
upon  the  native  soil  he  has  betrayed."  So  say- 
ing, he  left  the  camp,  nor  could  the  Moslem 
chieftains  help  admiring  the  honest  indignation 
of  this  patriot  knight,  while  they  secretly  de- 
spised his  renegado  adversary. 

The  ancient  Moorish  chroniclers  relate  many 
awful  portents  and  strange  and  mysterious  visions, 
which  appeared  to  the  commanders  of  either 
army  during  this  anxious  night.  Certainly  it 
was  a  night  of  fearful  suspense,  and  Moslem  and 
Christian  looked  forward  with  doubt  to  the  for- 
tune of  the  coming  day.  The  Spanish  sentinel 
walked  Ins  pensive  round,  listening  occasionally 
to  the  vague  sounds  from  the  distant  rock  of 
Calpe,  and  eying  it  as  the  mariner  eyes  the  thun- 
der-cloud, pregnant  with  terror  and  destruction. 
The  Arabs,  too,  from  their  lofty  cliffs,  beheld  the 
numerous  camp-fires  of  the  Christians  gradually 
lighted  up,  and  saw  that  they  were  a  powerful 
host ;  at  the  same  time  the  night  breeze  brought 
to  their  ears  the  sullen  roar  of  the  sea  which 
separated  them  from  Africa.  When  they  con- 
sidered their  perilous  situation, —  an  army  on  one 
side,  with  a  whole  nation  aroused  to  reinforce  it, 
and  on  the  other  an  impassable  sea,  —  the  spirits 
of  many  of  the  warriors  were  cast  down,  and 
they  repented  the  day  when  they  had  ventured 
into  this  hostile  land. 

Taric  marked  their  despondency,  but  said 
nothing.  Scarce  had  the  first  streak  of  morning 
light  trembled  along  the  sea,  however,  when  he 


68         THE  LEGEND   OF  DON  RODERICK. 

summoned  his  principal  warriors  to  his  tent 
"  Be  of  good  cheer,"  said  he ;  "  Allah  is  with  us 
and  has  sent  his  Prophet  to  give  assurance  of 
his  aid.  Scarce  had  I  retired  to  my  tent  last 
night,  when  a  man  of  a  majestic  and  venerable 
presence  stood  before  me.  He  was  taller  by  a 
palm  than  the  ordinary  race  of  men,  his  flowing 
beard  was  of  a  golden  hue,  and  his  eyes  were  so 
bright  that  they  seemed  to  send  forth  flashes  of 
fire.  I  have  heard  the  Emir  Bahamet,  and  other 
ancient  men,  describe  the  Prophet,  whom  they 
had  seen  many  times  while  on  earth,  and  such 
was  his  form  and  lineament.  *  Fear  nothing,  O 
Taric,  from  the  morrow,'  said  he ;  *  I  will  be 
with  thee  in  the  fight.  Strike  boldly,  then,  and 
conquer.  Those  of  thy  followers  who  survive 
the  battle  will  have  this  land  for  an  inheritance ; 
for  those  who  fall  a  mansion  in  Paradise  is  pre- 
pared, and  immortal  houries  await  their  coming. 
He  spake  and  vanished ;  I  heard  a  strain  of 
celestial  melody,  and  my  tent  was  filled  with  the 
odors  of  Arabia  the  Happy."  "  Such,"  say  the 
Spanish  chroniclers,  "  was  another  of  the  arts  by 
which  this  arch  son  of  Ishmael  sought  to  animate 
the  hearts  of  his  followers ;  and  the  pretended 
vision  has  been  recorded  by  the  Arabian  writers 
as  a  veritable  occurrence.  Marvelous,  indeed, 
was  the  effect  produced  by  it  upon  the  infidel 
soldiery,  who  now  cri3d  out  with  eagerness  to  be 
led  against  the  foe." 


CHAPTER  XII. 

Battle  of  Calpe.— Fate  of  Ataulpho. 

HE  gray  summits  of  the  rock  of  Calpe 
brightened  with  the  first  rays  of  morn- 
ing, as  the  Christian  army  issued  forth 
from  its  encampment.  The  Prince  Ataulpho 
rode  from  squadron  to  squadron,  animating  his 
soldiers  for  the  battle.  "  Never  should  we  sheathe 
our  swords,"  said  he,  "  while  these  infidels  have 
a  footing  in  the  land.  They  are  pent  up  within 
you  rocky  mountain  ;  we  must  assail  them  in 
their  rugged  hold.  We  have  a  long  day  before 
us ;  let  not  the  setting  sun  shine  upon  one  of 
their  host  who  is  not  a  fugitive,  a  captive,  or  a 
corpse." 

The  words  of  the  prince  were  received  with 
shouts,  and  the  army  moved  towards  the  promon- 
tory. As  they  advanced,  they  heard  the  clash 
of  cymbals  and  the  bray  of  trumpets,  and  the 
rocky  bosom  of  the  mountain  glittered  with  helms 
and  spears  and  scimetars;  for  the  Arabs,  in- 
spired with  fresh  confidence  by  the  words  of 
Taric,  were  sallying  forth,  with  flaunting  ban- 
ners, to  the  combat. 

The  gaunt  Arab  chieftain  stood  upon  a  rock  as 
his  troops  marched  by;  his  buckler  was  at  his 


70         THE  LEGEND   OF  DON  RODERICK 

back,  and  he  brandished  in  his  hand  a  double- 
pointed  spear.  Calling  upon  the  several  leaders 
by  their  names,  he  exhorted  them  to  direct  their 
attacks  against  the  Christian  captains,  and  espe- 
cially against  Ataulpho  ;  "  for  the  chiefs  being 
slain,"  said  he,  "  their  followers  will  vanish  from 
before  us  like  the  morning  mist." 

The  Gothic  nobles  were  easily  to  be  distin- 
guished by  the  splendor  of  their  arms,  but  the 
Prince  Ataulpho  was  conspicuous  above  all  the 
rest  for  the  youthful  grace  and  majesty  of  his 
appearance  and  the  bravery  of  his  array.  He 
was  mounted  on  a  superb  Andalusian  charger, 
richly  caparisoned  with  crimson  velvet,  embroid- 
ered with  gold.  His  surcoat  was  of  like  color 
and  adornment,  and  the  plumes  that  waved  above 
his  burnished  helmet  were  of  the  purest  white. 
Ten  mounted  pages,  magnificently  attired,  fol- 
lowed him  to  the  field,  but  their  duty  was  not  so 
much  to  fight  as  to  attend  upon  their  lord,  and 
to  furnish  him  with  steed  or  weapon. 

The  Christian  troops,  though  irregular  and 
undisciplined,  were  full  of  native  courage  ;  for 
the  old  warrior  spirit  of  their  Gothic  sires  still 
glowed  in  their  bosoms.  There  were  two  battal- 
ions of  infantry,  but  Ataulpho  stationed  them  in 
the  rear ;  "  for  God  forbid,"  said  he,  « that  foot- 
soldiers  should  have  the  place  of  honor  in  the 
battle,  when  I  have  so  many  valiant  cavaliers." 
As  the  armies  drew  nigh  to  each  other,  however, 
it  was  discovered  that  the  advance  of  the  Arabs 
was  composed  of  infantry.  Upon  this  the  cav- 
aliers checked  their  steeds,  and  requested  that 


THE  LEGEND   OF  DON  RODERICK.        71 

the  foot  sjldiery  might  advance  and  disperse  this 
losel  crew,  holding  it  beneath  their  dignity  to 
contend  with  pedestrian  foes.  The  prince,  how- 
ever, commanded  them  to  charge  ;  upon  which, 
putting  spurs  to  their  steeds,  they  rushed  upon 
the  foe. 

The  Arabs  stood  the  shock  manfully,  receiving 
the  horses  upon  the  points  of  their  lances ;  many 
of  the  riders  were  shot  down  with  bolts  from 
cross-bows,  or  stabbed  with  the  poniards  of  the 
Moslems.  The  cavaliers  succeeded,  however,  in 
breaking  into  the  midst  of  the  battalion  and  throw- 
ing it  into  confusion,  cutting  down  some  with  their 
swords,  transpiercing  others  with  their  spears, 
and  trampling  many  under  the  hoofs  of  their 
horses.  At  this  moment  they  were  attacked  by 
a  band  of  Spanish  horsemen,  the  recreant  parti- 
sans of  Count  Julian.  Their  assault  bore  hard 
upon  their  countrymen,  who  were  disordered  by 
the  contest  with  the  foot-soldiers,  and  many  a 
loyal  Christian  knight  fell  beneath  the  sword  of 
an  unnatural  foe. 

The  foremost  among  these  recreant  warriora 
was  the  renegado  cavalier  whom  Theodomir  had 
challenged  in  the  tent  of  Taric.  He  dealt  hia 
blows  about  him  with  a  powerful  arm  and  with 
malignant  fury,  for  nothing  is  more  deadly  than 
the  hatred  of  an  apostate.  In  the  midst  of  hi& 
career  he  was  espied  by  the  hardy  Theodomir, 
who  came  spurring  to  the  encounter.  "  Traitor," 
cried  he,  "  I  have  kept  my  vow.  This  lance  has 
oeen  held  sacred  from  all  other  foes  to  make  a 
passage  for  thy  perjured  soul."  The  renegade 


72        THE  LEGEND   OF  DON  RODERICK. 

had  been  renowned  for  prowess  before  he  became 
a  traitor  to  his  country,  but  guilt  will  sap  the  cour- 
age of  the  stoutest  heart.  When  he  beheld 
Theodomir  rushing  upon  him,  he  would  have 
turned  and  fled ;  pride  alone  withheld  him ;  and, 
though  an  admirable  master  of  defense,  he  lost 
all  skill  to  ward  the  attack  of  his  adversary.  At 
the  first  assault  the  lance  of  Theodomir  pierced 
him  through  and  through ;  he  fell  to  the  earth, 
gnashed  his  teeth  as  he  rolled  in  the  dust,  but 
yielded  his  breath  without  uttering  a  word. 

The  battle  now  became  general,  and  lasted 
throughout  the  morning  with  varying  success. 
The  stratagem  of  Taric,  however,  began  to  pro- 
duce its  effect.  The  Christian  leaders  and  most 
conspicuous  cavaliers  were  singled  out  and  sever- 
ally assailed  by  overpowering  numbers.  They 
fought  desperately,  and  performed  miracles  of 
prowess,  but  fell,  one  by  one,  beneath  a  thousand 
wounds.  Still  the  battle  lingered  on  throughout 
a  great  part  of  the  day,  and  as  the  declining 
sun  shone  through  the  clouds  of  dust,  it  seemed 
as  if  the  conflicting  hosts  were  wrapped  in  smoke 
and  fire. 

The  Prince  Ataulpho  saw  that  the  fortune  of 
battle  was  against  him.  He  rode  about  the  field, 
calling  out  the  names  of  the  bravest  of  his 
knights,  but  few  answered  to  his  call ;  the  rest 
lay  mangled  on  the  field.  Wth  this  handful  of 
warriors  he  endeavored  to  retrieve  the  day,  when 
he  was  assailed  by  Tenderos,  a  partisan  of  Count 
Julian,  at  the  head  of  a  body  of  recreant  Chris- 
tians. At  the  sight  of  this  new  adversary,  fire 


THE  LEGEND    OF  DON  RODERICK.        73 

flashed  from  the  eyes  of  the  prince,  for  Tendero» 
had  been  brought  up  in  his  father's  palace. 
kk  Well  dost  thou,  traitor ! "  cried  he,  "  to  attack  the 
son  of  thy  lord,  who  gave  thee  bread  ;  thou,  who 
hast  betrayed  thy  country  and  thy  God ! " 

So  saying,  he  seized  a  lance  from  one  of  his 
pages,  and  charged  furiously  upon  the  apostate  ; 
but  Tenderos  met  him  in  mid  career,  and  the 
lance  of  the  prince  was  shivered  upon  his  shield. 
Ataulpho  then  grasped  his  mace,  which  hung  at 
his  saddle-bow,  and  a  doubtful  fight  ensued.  Ten- 
deros was  powerful  of  frame  and  superior  in  the 
use  of  his  weapons,  but  the  curse  of  treason 
seemed  to  paralyze  his  arm.  He  wounded  Ataul- 
pho slightly  between  the  greaves  of  his  armor, 
but  the  prince  dealt  a  blow  with  his  mace  that 
crushed  through  helm  and  skull  and  reached  the 
brain  ;  and  Tenderos  fell  dead  to  earth,  his  ar- 
mor rattling  as  he  fell. 

At  the  same  moment,  a  javelin  hurled  by  an 
Arab  transpierced  the  horse  of  Ataulpho,  which 
sunk  beneath  him.  The  prince  seized  the  reins 
of  the  steed  of  Tenderos,  but  the  faithful  animal, 
as  though  he  knew  him  to  be  the  foe  of  his  late 
lord,  reared  and  plunged  and  refused  to  let  him 
motmt.  The  prince,  however,  used  him  as  a 
shield  to  ward  off  the  press  of  foes,  while  with 
his  sword  he  defended  himself  against  those  hi 
front  of  him.  Taric  ben  Zeyad  arrived  at  the 
scene  of  conflict,  and  paused  for  a  moment  in  ad- 
miration of  the  surpassing  prowess  of  the  prince ; 
recollecting,  however,  that  his  fall  would  be  a 
death-blow  to  his  army,  he  spurred  upon  him,  and 


74    THE  LEGEND  OF  DON  RODERICK. 

wounded  him  severely  with  his  scimetar.  Before 
he  could  repeat  his  blow,  Theodomir  led  up  a 
body  of  Christian  cavaliers  to  the  rescue,  and 
Taric  was  parted  from  his  prey  by  the  tumult  of 
the  fight.  The  prince  sank  to  the  earth,  covered 
with  wounds  and  exhausted  by  the  loss  of  blood. 
A  faithful  page  drew  him  from  under  the  hoofs 
of  the  horses,  and,  aided  by  a  veteran  soldier,  an 
ancient  vassal  of  Ataulpho,  conveyed  him  to  a 
short  distance  from  the  scene  of  battle,  by  the 
side  of  a  small  stream  that  gushed  out  from 
among  rocks.  They  stanched  the  •  blood  that 
flowed  from  his  wounds,  and  washed  the  dust 
from  his  face,  and  laid  him  beside  the  fountain. 
The  page  sat  at  his  head,  and  supported  it  on  his 
knees,  and  the  veteran  stood  at  his  feet,  with  his 
brow  bent  and  his  eyes  full  of  sorrow.  The  prince 
gradually  revived,  and  opened  his  eyes.  "  How 
fares  the  battle?"  said  he.  "The  struggle  is 
hard,"  replied  the  soldier,  "but  the  day  may  yet 
be  ours." 

The  prince  felt  that  the  hour  of  his  death  was 
at  hand,  and  ordered  that  they  should  aid  him  to 
rise  upon  his  knees.  They  supported  him  between 
them,  and  he  prayed  fervently  for  a  short  time, 
when,  finding  his  strength  declining,  he  beckoned 
the  veteran  to  sit  down  beside  him  on  the  rock. 
Continuing  to  kneel,  he  confessed  himself  to  that 
ancient  soldier,  having  no  priest  or  friar  to  per- 
form that  office  in  this  hour  of  extremity.  When 
he  had  so  done,  he  sunk  again  upon  the  earth  and 
pressed  it  with  his  lips,  as  if  he  would  take  a 
fond  farewell  of  his  beloved  country.  The  page 


TBti  LEGEND    OF  DON  RODERICK.        75 

would  then  have  raised  his  head,  but  found  that 
his  lord  had  yielded  up  the  ghost. 

A  number  of  Arab  warriors,  who  came  to  the 
fountain  to  slake  their  thirst,  cut  off  the  head  of 
the  prince,  and  bore  it  in  triumph  to  Taric,  crying, 
"  Behold  the  head  of  the  Christian  leader."  Taric 
immediately  ordered  that  the  head  should  be  put 
upon  the  end  of  a  lance,  together  with  the  surcoat 
of  the  prince,  and  borne  about  the  field  of  battle, 
with  the  sound  of  trumpets,  atabals,  and  cyuabals. 

When  the  Christians  beheld  the  surcoat,  and 
knew  the  features  of  the  prince,  they  were  struck 
with  horror,  and  heart  and  hand  failed  them. 
Theodomir  endeavored  in  vain  to  rally  them  ;  they 
threw  by  their  weapons  and  fled ;  and  they  con- 
tinued to  fly,  and  the  enemy  to  pursue  and  slay 
them,  until  the  darkness  of  the  night.  The  Mos- 
lems then  returned  and  plundered  the  Christian 
camp,  where  they  found  abundant  spoil. 


CHAPTER    XIII. 

Terror  of  the  Country.  —  Roderick  rouses  himself  to  Arms. 

HE  scattered  fugitives  of  the  Christian 
army  spread  terror  throughout  the  land. 
The  inhabitants  of  the  towns  and  vil- 
lages gathered  around  them  as  they  applied  at 
their  gates  for  food,  or  laid  themselves  down,  faint 
and  wounded,  beside  the  public  fountains.  When 
they  related  the  tale  of  their  defeat,  old  men 
shook  their  heads  and  groaned,  and  the  women 
uttered  cries  and  lamentations.  So  strange  <ind 
unlooked-for  a  calamity  filled  them  with  conster- 
nation and  despair  ;  for  it  was  long  since  the  alarm 
of  war  had  sounded  in  their  land,  and  this  was  a 
warfare  that  carried  chains  and  slavery,  and  all 
kinds  of  horrors  in  its  train. 

Don  Roderick  was  seated  with  his  beauteous 
queen,  Exilona,  in  the  royal  palace  which  crowned 
the  rocky  summit  of  Toledo,  when  the  bearer  of 
ill  tidings  came  galloping  over  the  bridge  of  the 
Tagus.  "What  tidings  from  the  army?"  de- 
manded the  king,  as  the  pantbg  messenger  was 
brought  into  his  presence.  "  Tidings  of  great 
woe,'*  exclaimed  the  soldier.  "  The  prince  has 
fallen  in  battle.  I  saw  his  head  and  surcoat  upon 
a  Moorish  lance,  and  the  army  was  overthrown 
and  fled." 


TSE  LEGEND   OF  DON  RODERICK.        77 

At  hearing  these  words,  Roderick  covered  his 
face  with  his  hands,  and  for  some  time  sat  in  si- 
lence ;  and  all  his  courtiers  stood  mute  and  aghast, 
and  no  one  dared  to  speak  a  word.  In  that  aw- 
ful space  of  time,  passed  before  his  thoughts  all 
his  errors  and  his  crimes,  and  all  the  evils  that 
had  been  predicted  in  the  necromantic  tower. 
His  mind  was  filled  with  horror  and  confusion, 
for  the  hour  of  his  destruction  seemed  at  hand ; 
but  he  subdued  his  agitation  by  his  strong  and 
haughty  spirit ;  and  when  he  uncovered  his  face, 
no  one  could  read  on  his  brow  the  trouble  and 
agony  of  his  heart.  Still  every  hour  brought 
fresh  tidings  of  disaster.  Messenger  after  mes- 
senger came  spurring  into  the  city,  distracting  it 
with  new  alarms.  The  infidels,  they  said,  were 
strengthening  themselves  in  the  land ;  host  after 
host  were  pouring  in  from  Africa ;  the  sea-board 
of  Andalusia  glittered  with  spears  and  scimetars. 
Bands  of  turbaned  horsemen  had  overrun  the 
plains  of  Sidonia,  even  to  the  banks  of  the  Gua- 
diana.  Fields  were  laid  waste,  towns  and  cities 
plundered,  the  inhabitants  carried  into  captivity, 
and  the  whole  country  lay  in  smoking  desolation. 

Roderick  heard  all  these  tidings  with  an  un- 
daunted aspect,  nor  did  he  ever  again  betray  sign 
of  consternation  ;  but  the  anxiety  of  his  soul  was 
evident  in  his  warlike  preparations.  He  issued 
orders  that  every  noble  and  prelate  of  his  king- 
dom should  put  himself  at  the  head  of  his  retainers 
and  take  the  field,  and  that  every  man  capable  of 
bearing  arms  should  hasten  to  his  standard,  bring- 
ing whatever  horse  and  mule  and  weapon  he  pos- 


73        THE  LEGEND   OF  DON  RODERICK. 

sessed  ;  and  he  appointed  the  plain  of  Cordova 
for  the  place  where  the  army  was  to  assemble. 
Throwing  by,  then,  all  the  trappings  of  his  late 
slothful  and  voluptuous  life,  and  arming  himself 
for  warlike  action,  he  departed  from  Toledo  at 
the  head  of  his  guard,  composed  of  the  flower  of 
the  youthful  nobility.  His  queen,  Exilona,  ac- 
companied him,  for  she  craved  permission  to  re- 
main iii  one  of  the  cities  of  Andalusia,  that  she 
might  be  near  her  lord  in  this  time  of  peril. 

Among  the  first  who  appeared  to  hail  the  ar- 
rival of  the  king  at  Cordova,  was  the  Bishop 
Oppas,  the  secret  partisan  of  the  traitor  Julian. 
He  brought  with  him  his  two  nephews,  Evan  and 
Siseburto,  the  sons  of  the  late  King  Witiza,  and 
a  great  host  of  vassals  and  retainers,  all  well  armed 
and  appointed ;  for  they  had'  been  furnished  by 
Count  Julian  with  a  part  of  the  arms  sent  by 
the  king  to  Africa.  The  bishop  was  smooth  of 
tongue  and  profound  in  his  hypocrisy ;  his  pre- 
tended zeal  and  devotion,  and  the  horror  with 
which  he  spoke  of  the  treachery  of  his  kinsman, 
imposed  upon  the  credulous  spirit  of  the  king, 
and  he  was  readily  admitted  into  his  most  secret 
councils. 

The  alarm  of  the  infidel  invasion  had  spread 
throughout  the  land,  and  roused  the  Gothic  valor 
of  the  inhabitants.  On  receiving  the  orders  of 
Roderick,  every  town  and  hamlet,  every  mountain 
and  valley,  had  sent  forth  its  fighting  men,  and 
the  whole  country  was  on  the  march  towards 
Andalusia.  In  a  little  while  there  were  gathered 
together,  on  the  plain  of  Cordova,  near  fifty  thou- 


THE  LEGEND    OF  DON  RODERICK.        79 

sand  horsemen  and  a  countless  host  of  foot-sol- 
diers. The  Gothic  nobles  appeared  in  burnished 
armor,  curiously  inlaid  and  adorned,  with  chains 
and  jewels  of  gold,  and  ornaments  of  precious 
stones,  and  silken  scarfs,  and  surcoats  of  brocade, 
or  velvet  richly  embroidered  ;  betraying  the  luxury 
and  ostentation  into  which  they  had  declined  from 
the  iron  hardihood  of  their  warlike  sires.  As  to 
the  common  people,  some  had  lances  and  shields 
and  swords  and  cross-bows,  but  the  greater  part 
were  unarmed,  or  provided  merely  with  slings, 
and  clubs  studded  with  nails,  and  with  the  iron 
implements  of  husbandry  ;  and  many  had  made 
shields  for  themselves  from  the  doors  and  windows 
of  their  habitations.  They  were  a  prodigious 
host,  and  appeared,  say  the  Arabian  chroniclers, 
like  an  agitated  sea  ;  but,  though  brave  in  spirit, 
they  possessed  no  knowledge  of  warlike  art,  and 
were  ineffectual  through  lack  of  arms  and  dis- 
cipline. 

Several  of  the  most  ancient  and  experienced 
cavaliers,  beholding  the  state  of  the  army,  advised 
Don  Roderick  to  await  the  arrival  of  more  regular 
troops,  which  were  stationed  in  Iberia,  Cantabria, 
and  Gallia  Gothica ;  but  this  counsel  was  strenu- 
ously opposed  by  the  Bishop  Oppas ;  who  urged 
the  king  to  march  immediately  against  the  infidels. 
"  As  yet,"  said  he,  "  their  number  is  but  limited  ; 
but  every  day  new  hosts  arrive,  like  flocks  of 
locusts,  from  Africa.  They  will  augment  faster 
than  we  ;  they  are  living,  too,  at  our  expense,  and 
while  we  pause,  both  armies  are  consuming  the 
substance  of  the  land." 


80         THE  LEGEND   OF  DON  RODERICK. 

King  Roderick  listened  to  the  crafty  counsel 
of  the  bishop,  and  determined  to  advance  without 
delay.  He  mounted  his  war-horse  Orelia,  and 
rode  among  his  troops  assembled  on  that  spacious 
plain,  and  wherever  he  appeared  he  was  received 
with  acclamations ;  for  nothing  so  arouses  the 
spirit  of  the  soldier  as  to  behold  his  sovereign  in 
arms.  He  addressed  them  in  words  calculated  to 
touch  their  hearts  and  animate  their  courage. 
"  The  Saracens,"  said  he,  "  are  ravaging  our  land, 
and  their  object  is  our  conquest.  Should  they 
prevail,  your  very  existence  as  a  nation  is  at  an 
end.  They  will  overturn  your  altars,  trample  on 
the  cross,  lay  waste  your  cities,  carry  off  your 
wives  and  daughters,  and  doom  yourselves  and 
sons  to  hard  and  cruel  slavery.  No  safety  remains 
for  you  but  in  the  prowess  of  your  arms.  For 
ray  own  part,  as  I  am  your  king,  so  will  I  be  your 
leader,  and  will  be  the  foremost  to  encounter  every 
toil  and  danger." 

The  soldiery  answered  their  monarch  with  loud 
acclamations,  and  solemnly  pledged  themselves  to 
fight  to  the  last  gasp  in  defense  of  their  country 
and  their  faith.  The  king  then  arranged  the 
order  of  their  march  ;  all  those  who  were  armed 
with  cuirasses  and  coats  of  mail  were  placed  in 
the  front  and  rear ;  the  centre  of  the  army  was 
composed  of  a  promiscuous  throng,  without  body- 
armor  and  but  scantily  provided  with  weapons. 

When  they  were  about  to  march,  the  king 
called  to  him  a  noble  cavalier  named  Ramiro, 
and,  delivering  him  the  royal  standard,  charged 
him  to  guard  it  well  for  the  honor  of  Spain ; 


THE  LEGEND  OF  DON  RODERICK.   81 

bear  cely,  however,  had  the  good  knight  received 
it  in  his  hand,  when  he  fell  dead  from  his  horse, 
and  the  staff  of  the  standard  was  broken  in 
twain.  Many  ancient  courtiers  who  were  pres- 
ent looked  upon  this  as  an  evil  omen,  and  coun- 
seled the  king  not  to  set  forward  on  his  march 
that  day ;  but,  disregarding  all  auguries  and  por- 
tents, he  ordered  the  royal  banner  to  be  put  upon 
a  lance,  and  gave  it  in  charge  of  another  stan- 
dard-bearer; then  commanding  the  trumpets  to  be 
sounded,  he  departed  at  the  head  of  his  host  to 
seek  the  enemy. 

The  field  where  this  great  army  assembled 
Was  called,  from  the  solemn  pledge  given  by  the 
nobles  and  the  soldiers,  El  campo  de  la  verdad; 
or,  The  Field  of  Truth  —  a  name,  says  the  sage 
chronicler  Abulcasim,  which  it  bears  even  to  the 
present  day.1 

1  La  Perdidc.  dt  Espana,  cap.  9.    Ble  "a,  L.  2,  c.  8. 


CHAPTER    XIV. 

March  of  the  Gothic  Army.  —  Encampment  on  the  Bank*  of 
the  Guadalete.  —  Mysterious  Predictions  of  a  Palmer.  — 
Conduct  of  Pelistes  thereupon. 

[HE  hopes  of  Andalusia  revived  as  this 
mighty  host  stretched  in  lengthening 
lines  along  its  fertile  plains ;  from  morn 
until  night  it  continued  to  pour  along,  with  sound 
of  drum  and  trumpet ;  it  was  led  on  by  the 
proudest  nobles  and  bravest  cavaliers  of  the  land, 
and,  had  it  possessed  arms  and  discipline,  might 
have  undertaken  the  conquest  of  the  world. 

After  a  few  days*  march,  Don  Roderick  ar- 
rived in  sight  of  the  Moslem  army,  encamped  oil 
the  banks  of  the  Guadalete,1  where  that  beauti- 
ful stream  winds  through  the  fertile  land  of 
Xeres.  The  infidel  host  was  far  inferior  in 
number  to  the  Christians,  but  then  it  was  com- 
posed of  hardy  and  dexterous  troops,  seasoned  to 
war  and  admirably  armed.  The  camp  shone 
gloriously  in  the  setting  sun,  and  resounded  with 
the  clash  of  cymbal,  the  note  of  the  trumpet, 
and  the  neighing  of  fiery  Arabian  steeds.  There 
were  swarthy  troops  from  every  nation  of  the 

1  This  name  was  given  to  it  subsequently  by  the  Arabs. 
It  signifies  tl.e  River  of  Death  Vide  Pedraza,  Hist.  Granad. 
p.  3,  c.  1. 


THE  LEGEND   OF  DON  RODERICK.         83 

African  coast,  together  with  legions  from  Syria 
and  Egypt,  while  the  light  Bedouins  were  career- 
ing about  the  adjacent  plain.  What  grieved  and 
incensed  the  spirits  of  the  Christian  warriors, 
however,  was  to  behold,  a  little  apart  from  the 
Moslem  host,  an  encampment  of  Spanish  cava- 
liers, with  the  banner  of  Count  Julian  waving 
above  their  tents.  They  were  ten  thousand  in 
number,  valiant  and  hardy  men,  the  most  expe- 
rienced of  Spanish  soldiery,  most  of  them  having 
served  in  the  African  wars;  they  were  well 
armed  and  appointed,  also,  with  the  weapons  of 
which  the  count  had  beguiled  his  sovereign ;  and 
it  was  a  grievous  sight  to  behold  such  good  sol- 
diers arrayed  against  their  country  and  their 
faith. 

The  Christians  pitched  their  tents  about  the 
hour  of  vespers,  at  a  short  league  distant  from 
the  enemy,  and  remained  gazing  with  anxiety 
and  awe  upon  this  barbaric  host  that  had  caused 
such  terror  and  desolation  in  the  land  ;  for  the 
first  sight  of  a  hostile  encampment  in  a  country 
disused  to  war  is  terrible  to  the  newly  enlisted 
eoldier.  A  marvelous  occurrence  is  recorded  by 
the  Arabian  chroniclers  as  having  taken  place  in 
the  Christian  camp ;  but  discreet  Spanish  writers 
relate  it  with  much  modification,  and  consider  it 
a  stratagem  of  the  wily  Bishop  Oppas,  to  sound 
the  loyalty  of  the  Christian  cavaliers. 

As  several  leaders  of  the  army  were  seated 
with  the  bishop  in  his  tent,  conversing  on  the 
dubious  fortunes  of  the  approaching  contest,  an 
ancient  pilgrim  appeared  at  the  entrance.  Ho 


84        THE  LEGEND    OF  DON  RODERICK. 

was  bowed  down  with  years,  his  snowy  beard 
descended  to  his  girdle,  and  he  supported  his  tot- 
tering steps  with  a  palmer's  staff.  The  cavaliers 
rose  and  received  him  witli  great  reverence  as 
he  advanced  within  the  tent.  Holding  up  his 
withered  hand,  u  Woe,  woe  to  Spain ! "  exclaimed 
he,  "  for  the  vial  of  the  wrath  of  Heaven  is 
about  to  be  poured  out.  Listen,  warriors,  and 
take  warning.  Four  months  since,  having  per- 
formed my  pilgrimage  to  the  sepulchre  of  our 
Lord  in  Palestine,  I  was  on  my  return  towards 
my  native  land.  Wearied  and  wayworn,  I  lay 
down  one  night  to  sleep  beneath  a  palm-tree,  by 
the  side  of"  a  fountain,  when  I  was  awakened  by 
a  voice  saying  unto  me,  in  soft  accents,  '  Son  of 
sorrow,  why  sleepest  thou?'  I  opened  my  eyes, 
and  behuld  one  of  a  fair  and  beauteous  counte- 
nance, in  shining  apparel,  and  with  glorious  wings, 
standing  by  the  fountain  ;  and  I  said,  '  Who  art 
thou  who  callest  upon  me  in  this  deep  hour  of 
the  night?' 

" '  Fear  not,'  replied  the  stranger ;  *  I  am  an 
angel  from  heaven,  sent  to  reveal  unto  thee  the 
fate  of  thy  country.  Behold,  the  sins  of  Roder- 
ick have  come  up  before  God,  and  his  anger  is 
kindled  against  him,  and  He  has  given  him  up 
to  be  invaded  and  destroyed.  Hasten  then  to 
Spain,  and  seek  the  camp  of  thy  countrymen. 
Warn  them  that  such  only  shall  be  saved  as 
shall  abandon  Roderick;  but  those  who  adhere 
to  him  shall  share  his  punishment,  and  shall  fall 
under  the  sword  of  the  invader.'  " 

The  pilgrim  ceased,  and  passed  forth  from  the 


THE  LEGEND   OF  DON  RODERICK.        85 

tent;  certain  of  the  cavaliers  followed  him  to 
detain  him,  that  they  might  converse  further  with 
him  about  these  matters,  but  he  was  nowhere  to 
be  found.  The  sentinel  before  the  tent  said,  "I 
saw  no  one  come  forth,  but  it  was  as  if  a  blast 
of  wind  passed  by  me,  and  there  was  a  rustling 
as  of  dry  leaves." 

The  cavaliers  remained  looking  upon  each 
other  with  astonishment.  The  Bishop  Oppas  sat 
with  his  eyes  fixed  upon  the  ground,  and 
shadowed  by  his  overhanging  brow.  At  length, 
breaking  silence,  in  a  low  and  faltering  voice, 
"  Doubtless,"  said  he,  "  this  message  is  from 
God ;  and  since  He  has  taken  compassion  upon 
us,  and  given  us  notice  of  his  impending  judg- 
ment, it  behooves  us  to  hold  grave  council,  arid 
determine  how  best  we  may  accomplish  his  will 
and  avert  his  displeasure." 

The  chiefs  still  remained  silent,  as  men  con- 
founded. Among  thena  was  a  veteran  noble 
named  Pelistes.  He  had  distinguished  himself 
in  the  African  wars,  fighting  side  by  side  with 
Count  Julian ;  but  the  latter  had  never  dared  to 
tamper  with  his  faith,  for  he  knew  his  stern 
integrity.  Pelistes  had  brought  with  him  to  the 
-camp  his  only  son,  who.  had  never  drawn  a  sword 
except  in  tourney.  When  the  young  man  saw 
that  the  veterans  held  their  peace,  the  blood 
mantled  in  his  cheek,  and,  overcoming  his  mod- 
esty, he  broke  forth  with  a  generous  warmth : 
"  I  know  not,  cavaliers,"  said  he,  "  what  is 
passing  in  your  minds,  but  I  bdieve  this  pilgrin? 


86         THE  LEGEND  (,F  DON  RODERICK. 

to  be  an  envoy  from  the  devil  ;  for  none  else 
could  have  given  such  dastard  and  perfidious 
counsel.  For  my  own  part,  I  stand  ready  to 
defend  my  king,  my  country,  and  my  faith ;  I 
know  no  higher  duty  than  this,  and  if  God  thinks 
fit  to  strike  me  dead  in  the  performance  of  it, 
his  sovereign  will  be  done  ! " 

When  the  young  man  had  risen  to  speak,  his 
father  had  fixed  his  eyes  upon  him  with  a  grave 
and  stern  demeanor,  leaning  upon  a  two-handed 
sword.  As  soon  as  the  youth  had  finished,  Pe- 
listes  embraced  him  with  a  father's  fondness. 
"  Thou  hast  spoken  well,  my  son,"  said  he ;  "  if  I 
held  my  peace  at  the  counsel  of  this  losel  pil- 
grim, it  was  but  to  hear  thy  opinion,  and  to  learn 
whether  thou  wert  worthy  of  thy  lineage  and  of 
the  training  I  had  given  thee.  Hadst  thou  coun- 
seled otherwise  than  thou  hast  done,  —  hadst 
thou  shown  thyself  craven  and  disloyal, —  so 
help  me  God,  I  would  have  struck  off  thy  head 
with  this  weapon  which  I  hold  in  my  hand. 
But  thou  hast  counseled  like  a  loyal  and  a 
Christian  knight,  and  I  thank  God  for  having 
given  me  a  son  worthy  to  perpetuate  the  honors 
of  my  line.  As  to  this  pilgrim,  be  he  saint  or 
be  he  devil,  I  care  not ;  this  much  I  promise, 
tL^-t  if  I  am  to  die  in  defense  of  my  country 
and  my  king,  my  life  shall  be  a  costly  purchase 
to  the  foe.  Let  each  man  make  the  same  re- 
solve, and  I  trust  we  shall  yet  prove  the  pilgrim 
A  lying  prophet."  The  words  of  Pelistes  roused 
the  spirits  of  many  of  the  cavaliers ;  others, 


THE  LEGEND   OF  DON  RODERICK. 


87 


however,  remained  full  of  anxious  foreboding; 
and  when  this  fearful  prophecy  was  rumored 
about  the  camp,  as  it  presently  was  by  the  emis- 
saries of  the  bishop,  it  spread  awe  and  dismay 
Among  the  soldiery. 


CHAPTER   XV. 

Skirmishing  of  the  Armies.  —  Pelistes  and  his  Son.  —  Fella* 
tes  and  the  Bishop. 

|N  the  following  day  the  two  armies  re- 
mained regarding  each  other  with  wary 
but  menacing  aspect.  About  noontide 
King  Roderick  sent  forth  a  chosen  force  of  five 
hundred  horse  and  two  hundred  foot,  the  best 
armed  of  his  host,  to  skirmish  with  the  enemy, 
that,  by  gaining  some  partial  advantage,  they 
might  raise  the  spirits  of  the  army.  They  were 
led  on  by  Theodomir,  the  same  Gothic  noble 
who  had  signalized  himself  by  first  opposing  the 
invasion  of  the  Moslems. 

The  Christian  squadrons  paraded  with  flying 
pennons  in  the  valley  which  lay  between  the 
armies.  The  Arabs  were  not  slow  in  answering 
their  defiance.  A  large  body  of  horsemen  sal- 
lied forth  to  the  encounter,  together  with  three 
hundred  of  the  followers  of  Count  Julian.  There 
was  hot  skirmishing  about  the  field  and  on  the 
banks  of  the  river ;  many  gallant  feats  were  dis- 
played on  either  side,  and  many  valiant  warriors 
were  slain.  As  the  night  closed  in,  the  trumpets 
from  either  camp  summoned  the  troops  to  retire 
from  the  combat.  In  this  day's  action  the  Chris- 
tians suffered  greatly  in  the  loss  of  their  distin- 


THE  LEGEND   OF  DON  RODERICK.        89 

guished  cavaliers ;  for  it  is  the  noblest  spirits 
who  venture  most,  and  lay  themselves  open  to 
danger;  and  the  Moslem  soldiers  had  instructions 
to  single  out  the  leaders  of  the  adverse  host. 
All  this  is  said  to  have  been  devised  by  the  per- 
fidious Bishop  Oppas,  who  had  secret  communi- 
cations with  the  enemy,  while  he  influenced  the 
councils  of  the  king;  and  who  trusted  that  by 
this  skirmishing  warfare  the  flower  of  the  Chris- 
tian troops  would  be  cut  off,  and  the  rest  dis- 
heartened. 

On  the  following  morning  a  larger  force  was 
ordered  out  to  skirmish,  and  such  of  the  soldiery 
as  were  unarmed  were  commanded  to  stand  ready 
to  seize  the  horses  and  strip  off  the  armor  of  the 
killed  and  wounded.  Among  the  most  illustrious 
of  the  warriors  who  fought  that  day  was  Pelistes, 
the  Gothic  noble  who  had  so  sternly  checked  the 
tongue  of  the  Bishop  Oppas.  He  led  to  the  field 
a  large  body  of  his  own  vassals  and  retainers, 
and  of  cavaliers  trained  up  in  his  house,  who  had 
followed  him  to  the  wars  in  Africa,  and  who 
looked  up  to  him  more  as  a  father  than  a  chief- 
tain. Beside  him  was  his  only  son,  who  now  for 
the  first  time  was  fleshing  his  sword  in  battle. 
The  conflict  that  day  was  more  general  and 
bloody  than  the  day  preceding ;  the  slaughter  of 
the  Christian  warriors  was  immense,  from  their 
lack  of  defensive  armor;  and  as  nothing  could 
prevent  the  flower  of  the  Gothic  chivalry  from 
spurring  to  the  combat,  the  field  was  strewed 
with  the  bodies  of  the  youthful  nobles.  None 
suffered  more,  however,  than  the  warriors  of 


90        THE  LEGEND   OF  DON  RODERICK. 

Pelistes.  Their  leader  himself  was  bold  and 
hardy,  and  prone  to  expose  himself  to  danger; 
but  years  and  experience  had  moderated  his  early 
fire ;  his  son,  however,  was  eager  to  distinguish 
himself  in  this,  his  first  essay,  and  rushed  with 
impetuous  ardor  into  the  hottest  of  the  battle. 
In  vain  his  father  called  to  caution  him ;  he  was 
ever  in  the  advance,  and  seemed  unconscious  of 
the  perils  that  surrounded  him.  The  cavaliers 
and  vassals  of  his  father  followed  him  with  de- 
voted zeal,  and  many  of  them  paid  for  their 
loyalty  with  their  lives.  When  the  trumpets 
sounded  in  the  evening  for  retreat,  the  troops  of 
Pelistes  were  the  last  to  reach  the  camp.  They 
came  slowly  and  mournfully,  and  much  decreased 
in  number.  Their  veteran  commander  was 
seated  on  his  war-horse,  but  the  blood  trickled 
from  the  greaves  of  his  armor.  His  valiant  son 
was  borne  on  the  shields  of  his  vassals  ;  when 
they  laid  him  on  the  earth  near  to  where  the 
king  was  standing,  they  found  that  the  heroic 
youth  had  expired  of  his  wounds.  The  cava- 
liers surrounded  the  body,  and  gave  utterance  to 
their  grief,  but  the  father  restrained  his  agony, 
and  looked  on  with  the  stern  resignation  of  a 
soldier. 

Don  Roderick  surveyed  the  field  of  battle  with 
a  rueful  eye,  for  it  was  covered  with  the  mangled 
bodies  of  his  most  illustrious  warriors ;  he  saw, 
too,  with  anxiety,  that  the  common  people,  un- 
used to  war  and  unsustained  by  discipline,  were 
harassed  by  incessant  toils  and  dangers,  and  were 
cooling  in  their  zeal  and  courage. 


THE  LEGEND   OF  LON  RODERICK.        91 

The  crafty  Bishop  Oppas  marked  the  internal 
trouble  of  the  king,  and  thought  a  favorable  mo- 
ment had  arrived  to  sway  him  to  his  purpose. 
He  called  to  his  mind  the  various  portents  and 
prophecies  which  had  forerun  their  present  Jan- 
ger.  "  Let  not  my  lord  the  king,"  said  he, 
"  make  light  of  these  mysterious  revelations, 
which  appear  to  be  so  disastrously  fulfilling.  The 
hand  of  Heaven  appears  to  be  against  us.  De- 
struction is  impending  over  our  heads.  Our 
troops  are  rude  and  unskillful,  but  slightly  armed, 
and  much  cast  down  in  spirit.  Better  is  it  that 
we  should  make  a  treaty  with  the  enemy,  and  by 
granting  part  of  his  demands,  prevent  the  utter 
ruin  of  our  country.  If  such  counsel  be  accept- 
able to  my  lord  tho  king,  I  stand  ready  to  depart 
upon  an  embassy  to  the  Moslem  camp." 

Upon  hearing  these  words,  Pelistes,  who  had 
stood  in  mournful  silence,  regarding  the  dead  body 
of  his  son,  burst  forth  with  honest  indignation. 
"  By  this  good  sword,"  said  he,  "  the  man  who 
yields  such  dastard  counsel  deserves  death  from 
the  hand  of  his  countrymen  rather  than  from  the 
foe  ;  and,  were  it  not  for  the  presence  of  the  king, 
may  I  forfeit  salvation  if  I  would  not  strike  him 
dead  upon  the  spot." 

The  bishop  turned  an  eye  of  venom  upon  Pe- 
listes. "  My  lord,"  said  he,  "  I,  too,  bear  a 
weapon,  and  know  how  to  wield  it.  Were  the 
king  not  present  you  would  not  dare  to  menace, 
nor  should  you  advance  one  step  without  my  has- 
tening to  meet  you." 

The  king  interposed  between  the  jarring  nobles, 


92         THE  LEGEND   OF  DON  RODERICK. 

and  rebuked  the  impetuosity  of  Pelistes,  but  at 
the  same  time  rejected  the  counsel  of  the  bishop. 
"  The  event  of  this  conflict,"  said  he,  "  is  in  the 
hand  of  God  ;  but  never  shall  my  sword  return 
to  its  scabbard  while  an  infidel  invader  remains 
within  the  land." 

lie  then  held  a  council  with  his  captains,  and 
it  was  determined  to  offer  the  enemy  general 
battle  on  the  following  day.  A  herald  was  dis- 
patched defying  Taric  ben  Zeyad  to  the  contest, 
and  the  defiance  was  gladly  accepted  by  the  Mos- 
lem chieftain.1  Don  Roderick  then  formed  the 
plan  of  action,  and  assigned  to  each  commander 
his  several  station,  after  which  he  dismissed  his 
onV-ers,  and  each  one  sought  his  tent,  to  prepare 
by  diligence  or  repose  for  the  next  day's  eventful 
contest. 

1  Bleda,  Cronica. 


CHAPTER    XVI. 

Traitorous  Message  of  Count  Julian. 

|ARIC  BEN  ZEYAD  had  been  surprised 
by  the  valor  of  the  Christian  cavaliers 
in  the  recent  battles,  and  at  the  number 
and  apparent  devotion  of  the  troops  which  ac- 
companied the  king  to  the  field.  The  confident 
iefiance  of  Don  Roderick  increased  his  surprise. 
When  the  herald  had  retired,  he  turned  an  eye 
of  suspicion  on  Count  Julian.  "  Thou  hast  rep- 
resented thy  countrymen,"  said  he,  "  as  sunk  in 
effeminacy  and  lost  to  all  generous  impulse ;  yet 
I  find  them  fighting  with  the  courage  and  the 
strength  of  lions.  Thou  hast  represented  thy 
king  as  detested  by  his  subjects  and  surrounded 
by  secret  treason  ;  but  I  behold  his  tents  whiten- 
ing the  hills  and  dales,  while  thousands  are  hourly 
flocking  to  his  standard.  Woe  unto  thee  if  thou 
hast  dealt  deceitfully  with  us,  or  betrayed  us  with 
guileful  words." 

Don  Julian  retired  to  his  tent  in  great  trouble 
of  mind,  and  fear  came  upon  him  that  the 
Bishop  Oppas  might  play  him  false ;  for  it  is  the 
lot  of  traitors  ever  to  distrust  each  other.  He 
called  to  him  the  same  page  who  had  brought  him 


94    THE  LEGEND  OF  DON  RODERICK. 

the  letter  from  Florinda.  revealing  the  story  of 
her  dishonor. 

"  Thou  knowesc,  my  trusty  page,"  said  he, 
"  that  I  have  reared  thee  in  my  household,  and 
cherished  thee  above  all  thy  companions.  If  thou 
hast  loyalty  and  affection  for  thy  lord,  now  is  the 
time  to  serve  him.  Hie  thee  to  the  Christian 
camp,  and  find  thy  way  to  the  tent  of  the  Bishop 
Oppas.  If  any  one  ask  thee  who  thou  art,  tell 
them  thou  art  of  the  household  of  the  bishop,  and 
bearer  of  missives  from  Cordova.  When  thou 
art  admitted  to  the  presence  of  the  bishop,  show 
him  this  ring,  and  he  will  commune  with  thee  in 
secret  Then  tell  him  Count  Julian  greets  him 
as  a  brother,  and  demands  how  the  wrongs  of  his 
daughter  Florinda  are  to  be  redressed.  Mark 
well  his  reply,  and  bring  it  word  for  word.  Have 
thy  lips  closed,  but  thine  eyes  and  ears  open  ;  and 
observe  everything  of  note  in  the  camp  of  the 
king.  So,  speed  thee  on  thy  errand — away, 
away ! " 

The  page  hastened  to  saddle  a  Barbary  steed, 
fleet  as  the  wind,  and  of  a  jet  black  color,  so  as 
not  to  be  easily  discernible  hi  the  night.  He 
girded  on  a  sword  and  dagger,  slung  an  Arab  bow 
with  a  quiver  of  arrows  at  his  side,  and  a  buckler 
at  his  shoulder.  Issuing  out  of  the  camp,  he 
sought  the  bauks  of  the  Guadalete,  and  proceeded 
silently  along  its  stream,  which  reflected  the 
distant  fires  of  the  Christian  camp.  As  he  passed 
by  the  place  which  had  been  the  scene  of  the 
recent  conflict,  he  heard  from  time  to  time  the 
gro'-in  of  some  expiring  \varrior  who  had  crawled 


THE  LEGEND   OF  DON  RODERICK.         95 

among  the  reeds  on  the  margin  of  the  river,  and 
sometimes  his  steed  stepped  cautiously  over  the 
mangled  bodies  of  the  slain.  The  young  page 
was  unused  to  the  sights  of  war.  and  his  heart 
beat  quick  within  him.  He  was  hailed  by  the 
sentinels  as  he  approached  the  Christian  camp, 
and,  on  giving  the  reply  taught  him  by  Count 
Julian,  was  conducted  to  the  tent  of  the  Bishop 
Oppas. 

The  bishop  had  not  yet  retired  to  his  couch. 
When  he  beheld  the  ring  of  Count  Julian,  and 
heard  the  words  of  his  message,  he  saw  that  the 
page  was  one  in  whom  he  might  confide.  "  Hasten 
back  to  thy  lord,"  said  he,  "  and  tell  him  to  have 
faith  in  me  and  all  shall  go  well.  As  yet  I  have 
kept  my  troops  out  of  the  combat.  They  are  all 
fresh,  well  armed,  and  well  appointed.  Tne  king 
has  confided  to  myself,  aided  by  the  princes  Evan 
and  Siseburto,  the  command  of  a  wing  of  the 
army.  To-morrow,  at  the  hour  of  noon,  when 
both  armies  are  in  the  heat  of  action,  we  will 
pass  over  with  our  forces  to  the  Moslems.  But 
I  claim  the  compact  made  with  Taric  ben  Zeyad, 
that  my  nephews  be  placed  in  dominion  over 
Spain,  and  tributary  only  to  the  Caliph  of  Da- 
mascus." With  this  traitorous  message  the  page 
departed.  He  led  his  black  steed  by  the  bridle, 
to  present  less  mark  for  observation,  as  he  went 
stumbling  along  near  the  expiring  fires  of  the 
camp.  On  passing  the  last  outpost,  where  the 
guards  were  half  slumbering  on  their  arms,  he 
was  overheard  and  summoned,  but  leaped  lightly 
into  the  saddle  and  put  spurs  to  his  steed.  An 


96         THE  LEGEND   OF  DON  RODERICK. 

arrow  whistled  by  his  ear,  and  two  more  stuck  in 
the  target  which  he  had  thrown  upon  his  back. 
The  clatter  of  swift  hoofs  echoed  behind  him,  but 
he  had  learnt  of  the  Arabs  to  fight  and  fly. 
Plucking  a  shaft  from  his  quiver,  and  turning  and 
rising  in  the  stirrups  as  his  courser  galloped  at 
full  speed,  he  drew  the  arrow  to  the  head  and 
launched  it  at  his  pursuer.  The  twang  of  the 
bow-string  was  followed  by  the  crash  of  armor, 
and  a  deep  groan,  as  the  horseman  tumbled  to  the 
earth.  The  page  pursued  his  course  without 
further  molestation,  and  arrived  at  the  Moslem 
camp  before  the  break  of  day. 


CHAPTER   XVn. 

Last  Day  of  the  Battle. 

LIGHT  had  burned  throughout  the  night 
in  the  tent  of  the  king,  and  anxious 
thoughts  and  dismal  visions  troubled  his 
repose.  If  he  fell  into  a  slumber,  he  beheld  in 
his  dreams  the  shadowy  phantoms  of  the  necro- 
mantic tower,  or  the  injured  Floriuda,  pale  and 
disheveled,  imprecating  the  vengeance  of  Heaven 
upon  his  head.  In  the  mid-watches  of  the  night, 
when  all  was  silent  except  the  footstep  of  the 
sentinel  pacing  before  his  tent,  the  king  rose  from 
his  couch,  and  walking  forth,  looked  thoughtfully 
upon  the  martial  scene  before  him.  The  pale 
crescent  of  the  moon  hung  over  the  Moorish  camp, 
and  dimly  lighted  up  the  windings  of  the  Gua- 
dalete.  The  heart  of  the  king  was  heavy  and 
oppressed ;  but  he  felt  only  for  himself,  says 
Antonio  Agapida ;  he  thought  nothing  of  the  perils 
impending  over  the  thousands  of  devoted  subjects 
in  the  camp  below  him ;  sleeping,  as  it  were,  on 
the  margin  of  their  graves.  The  faint  clatter  of 
distant  hoofs,  as  if  in  rapid  flight,  reached  the 
monarch's  ear,  but  the  horsemen  were  not  to  be 
descried.  At  that  very  hour,  and  along  the 
shadowy  banks  of  that  river,  here  and  there 
gleaming  with  the  scanty  moonlight,  passed  the 


98          THE  LEGEND    OF  DON  RODERICK. 

fugitive  messenger  of  Count  Julian,  witli  the  pian 
of  the  next  day's  treason. 

The  day  had  not  yet  dawned  when  the  sleep- 
less and  impatient  monarch  summoned  his  attend- 
ants and  arrayed  himself  for  the  field.  He  then 
sent  for  the  venerable  Bishop  Urbino,  who  had 
accompanied  him  to  the  camp,  and,  laying  aside 
his  regal  crown,  he  knelt  with  head  uncovered, 
and  confessed  his  sins  before  the  holy  man.  After 
this  a  solemn  mass  was  performed  in  the  royal  tent, 
and  the  eucharist  administered  to  the  monarch. 
"When  these  ceremonies  were  concluded,  he  be- 
sought the  archbishop  to  depart  forthwith  for  Cor- 
dova, there  to  await  the  issue  of  the  battle,  and 
to  be  ready  to  bring  forward  reinforcements  and 
supplies.  The  archbishop  saddled  his  mule  and 
departed  just  as  the  faint  blush  of  morning  began 
to  kindle  in  the  east.  Already  the  camp  re- 
sounded with  the  thrilling  call  of  the  trumpet,  the 
clank  of  armor,  and  the  tramp  and  neigh  of  steeds. 
As  the  archbishop  passed  through  the  camp,  he 
looked  with  a  compassionate  heart  on  this  vast 
multitude,  of  whom  so  many  were  soon  to  perish. 
The  warriors  pressed  to  kiss  his  hand,  and  many 
a  cavalier  full  of  youth  and  fire  received  his  bene- 
diction, who  was  to  lie  stiff  and  cold  before  the 
evening. 

When  the  troops  were  marshaled  for  the  field, 
Don  Roderick  prepared  to  sally  forth  in  the  state 
and  pomp  with  which  the  Gothic  kings  were  wont 
to  go  to  battle.  He  was  arrayed  in  robes  of  gold 
brocade  ;  his  sandals  were  embroidered  with  pearls 
and  diamonds ;  he  had  a  sceptre  in  his  hand,  and 


THE  LEGEND    OF  DON  RODERICK.        99 

he  wore  a  regal  crown  resplendent  with  inestim- 
able jewels.  Thus  gorgeously  appareled,  he  as- 
cended a  lofty  chariot  of  ivory,  the  axle-trees  of 
which  were  of  silver,  and  the  wheels  and  pole 
covered  with  plates  of  burnished  gold.  Above 
his  head  was  a  canopy  of  cloth  of  gold,  embossed 
with  armorial  devices,  and  studded  with  precious 
stones.1  This  sumptuous  chariot  was  drawn  by 
milk-white  horses,  with  caparisons  of  crimson 
velvet,  embroidered  with  pearls.  A  thousand 
youthful  cavaliers  surrounded  the  car,  all  of  the 
noblest  blood  and  bravest  spirit ;  all  knighted  by 
the  king's  own  hand,  and  sworn  to  defend  him  to 
the  last. 

When  Roderick  issued  forth  in  this  resplendent 
state,  says  an  Arabian  writer,  surrounded  by  his 
guards  in  gilded  armor  and  waving  plumes  and 
scarfs  and  surcoats  of  a  thousand  dyes,  it  was  as 
if  the  sun  were  emerging  in  the  dazzling  chariot 
of  the  day  from  amidst  the  glorious  clouds  of 
morning. 

As  the  royal  car  rolled  along  in  front  of  the 
squadrons,  the  soldiers  shouted  with  admiration. 
Don  Roderick  waved  his  sceptre  and  addressed 
them  from  his  lofty  throne,  reminding  them  of 
the  horror  and  desolation  which  had  already  been 
spread  through  the  land  by  the  invaders.  He 
called  upon  them  to  summon  up  the  ancient  valor 
of  their  race,  and  avenge  the  blood  of  their 
brethren.  "  One  day  of  glorious  fighting,''  said 
he,  "and  this  infidel  horde  will  be  driven  into  the 
sea  or  will  perish  beneath  your  swords.  Forward 

1  Entrand.  Chron.  an    Chris.  714. 


:00       TEE  LEGEND    OF  DON  RODERICK. 

bravely  to  the  fight ;  your  families  are  behind  you 
praying  for  your  success  ;  the  invaders  of  your 
country  are  before  you  ;  God  is  above  to  bless  his 
holy  cause,  and  your  king  leads  you  to  the  field." 
The  army  shouted  with  one  accord,  "  Forward  to 
the  foe,  and  death  be  his  portion  who  shuns  the 
encounter ! " 

The  rising  sun  began  to  shine  along  the  glisten- 
ing waters  of  the  Guadalete  as  the  Moorish  army, 
squadron  after  squadron,  came  sweeping  down  a 
gentle  declivity  to  the  sound  of  martial  music. 
Their  turbans  and  robes,  of  various  dyes  and 
fashions,  gave  a  splendid  appearance  to  their  host  -, 
as  they  marched,  a  cloud  of  dust  arose  and  partly 
hid  them  from  the  sight,  but  still  there  would 
break  forth  flashes  of  steel  and  gleams  of  burnished 
gold,  like  rays  of  vivid  lightning ;  while  the  sound 
of  drum  and  trumpet,  and  the  clash  of  Moorish 
cymbal,  were  as  the  warlike  thunder  within  that 
stormy  cloud  of  battle. 

As  the  armies  drew  near  each  other,  the  sun 
disappeared  among  gathering  clouds,  and  the 
gloom  of  the  day  was  increased  by  the  columns 
of  dust  which  rose  from  either  host.  At  length 
the  trumpets  sounded  for  the  encounter.  The 
battle  commenced  with  showers  of  arrows,  stones, 
and  javelins.  The  Christian  foot-soldiers  fought 
to  disadvantage,  the  greater  part  being  destitute 
of  helm  or  buckler.  A  battalion  of  light  Ara- 
bian horsemen,  led  by  a  Greek  renegado  named 
Maguel  el  Ruma,  careered  in  front  of  the  Chris- 
tian line,  launching  their  darts,  and  then  wheel- 
ing off  beyond  the  reach  of  the  missiles  hurled 


THE  LEGEND   OF  DON  RODERICK.      101 

after  them.  Theodomir  now  brought  up  his  sea- 
Boned  troops  into  the  action,  seconded  by  the 
veteran  Pelistes,  and  in  a  little  while  the  battle 
became  furious  and  promiscuous.  It  was  glo- 
rious to  behold  the  old  Gothic  valor  shining  forth 
in  this  hour  of  fearful  trial.  Wherever  the 
Moslems  fell,  the  Christians  rushed  forward, 
seized  upon  their  horses,  and  stripped  them  of 
their  armor  and  their  weapons.  They  fought 
desperately  and  successfully,  for  they  fought  for 
their  country  and  their  faith.  The  battle  raged 
for  several  hours ;  the  field  was  strewn  with 
slain,  and  the  Moors,  overcome  by  the  multitude 
and  fury  of  their  foes,  began  to  falter. 

When  Taric  beheld  his  troops  retreating  before 
the  enemy,  he  threw  himself  before  them,  and, 
rising  in  his  stirrups,  "  O  Moslems !  conquerors 
of  Africa ! "  cried  he,  "  whither  would  you  fly  ? 
The  sea  is  behind  you,  the  enemy  before  ;  you 
have  no  hope  but  in  your  valor  and  the  help  of 
God  !  Do  as  I  do,  and  the  day  is  ours  ! " 

With  these  words  he  put  spurs  to  his  horse 
and  sprung  among  the  enemy,  striking  to  right 
and  left,  cutting  down  and  destroying,  while  his 
steed,  fierce  as  himself,  trampled  upon  the  foot- 
soldiers,  and  tore  them  with  his  teeth.  At  this 
moment  a  mighty  shout  arose  in  various  parts  of 
the  field ;  the  noontide  hour  had  arrived.  The 
Bishop  Oppas,  with  the  two  princes,  who  had 
hitherto  kept  their  bands  out  of  the  fight,  sud- 
denly went  over  to  the  enemy,  and  turned 
their  weapons  upon  their  astonished  countrymen. 
From  that  moment  the  fortune  of  the  day  was 


102       THE  LEGEND   OF  DON  RODERICK. 

changed,  and  the  field  of  battle  became  a  scene 
of  wild  confusion  and  bloody  massacre.  The 
Christians  knew  not  whom  to  contend  with,  or 
whom  to  trust.  It  seemed  as  if  madness  had 
seized  upon  their  friends  and  kinsmen,  and  that 
their  worst  enemies  were  among  themselves. 

The  courage  of  Don  Roderick  rose  with  hia 
danger.  Throwing  off  the  cumbrous  robes  of 
royalty,  and  descending  from  his  car,  he  sprang 
upon  his  steed  Orelia,  grasped  his  lance  and 
buckler,  and  endeavored  to  rally  his  retreating 
troops.  He  was  surrounded  and  assailed  by  a 
multitude  of  his  own  traitorous  subjects,  but  de- 
fended himself  with  wondrous  prowess.  The 
enemy  thickened  around  him  ;  his  loyal  band  of 
cavaliers  were  slain,  bravely  fighting  in  his  de- 
fense ;  the  last  that  was  seen  of  the  king  was  in 
the  midst  of  the  enemy,  dealing  death  at  every 
blow. 

A  complete  panic  fell  upon  the  Christians ; 
they  threw  away  their  arms  and  fled  in  all  direc- 
tions. They  were  pursued  with  dreadful  slaugh- 
ter, until  the  darkness  of  the  night  rendered  it 
impossible  to  distinguish  friend  from  foe.  Taric 
then  called  off  his  troops  from  the  pursuit,  and 
took  possession  of  the  royal  camp ;  and  the 
couch  which  had  been  pressed  so  uneasily  on  the 
preceding  night  by  Don  Roderick,  now  yielded 
sound  repose  to  his  conqueror.1 

1  This  battle  is  called  indiscriminately  by  historians  the 
battle  of  Guadalete,  or  of  Xcres,  from  the  neighborhood  of 
that  city 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

The  Field  of  Battle  after  the  Defeat.  —  The  Fate  of  Roderick. 

|N  the  morning  after  the  battle,  the  Arab 
leader,  Taric  ben  Zeyad,  rode  over  the 
bloody  field  of  the  Guadalete,  strewed 
with  the  ruins  of  those  splendid  armies  which 
had  so  lately  passed  like  glorious  pageants  along 
the  river  banks.  There  Moor  and  Christian, 
horseman  and  horse,  lay  gashed  with  hideous 
wounds ;  and  the  river,  still  red  with  blood,  was 
filled  with  the  bodies  of  the  slain.  The  gaunt 
Arab  was  as  a  wolf  roaming  through  the  fold  he 
had  laid  waste.  On  every  side  his  eye  reveled 
on  the  ruin  of  the  country,  on  the  wrecks  of 
haughty  Spain.  There  lay  the  flower  of  her 
youthful  chivalry,  mangled  and  destroyed,  and 
the  strength  of  her  yeomanry  prostrated  in  the 
dust.  The  Gothic  noble  lay  confounded  with  his 
vassals,  the  peasant  with  the  prince  —  all  ranks 
and  dignities  were  mingled  in  one  bloody  mas- 
sacre. 

When  Taric  had  surveyed  the  field,  he  caused 
the  spoils  of  the  dead  and  the  plunder  of  the 
?arnp  to  be  brought  before  him.  The  booty  was 
.m mouse.  There  were  massy  chains  and  rare 
jewels  of  gold,  pearls  and  precious  stones,  rich 


104       THE  LEGEND    OF  DON  RODERICK. 

Bilks  and  brocades,  and  all  other  luxurious  deco- 
rations in  which  the  Gothic  nobles  had  indulged 
in  the  latter  times  of  their  degeneracy.  A  vast 
amount  of  treasure  was  likewise  found,  which 
had  been  brought  by  Roderick  for  the  expenses 
of  the  war. 

Taric  then  ordered  that  the  bodies  of  the 
Moslem  warriors  should  be  interred ;  as  for  those 
of  the  Christians,  they  were  gathered  in  heaps, 
and  vast  pyres  of  wood  were  formed,  on  which 
they  were  consumed.  The  flames  of  these  pyres 
rose  high  in  the  air,  and  were  seen  afar  off  in 
the  night ;  and  when  the  Christians  beheld  them 
from  the  neighboring  hills,  they  beat  their  breasts 
and  tore  their  hair,  and  lamented  over  them  as 
over  the  funeral  fires  of  their  country.  The 
carnage  of  that  battle  infected  the  air  for  two 
whole  months,  and  bones  were  seen  lying  in 
heaps  upon  the  field  for  more  than  forty  years ; 
nay,  when  ages  had  passed  and  gone,  the  hus- 
bandman, turning  up  the  soil,  would  still  find 
fragments  of  Gothic  cuirasses  and  helms,  and 
Moorish  scimelars,  the  relics  of  that  dreadful 
fight. 

For  three  days  the  Arabian  horsemen  pursued 
the  flying  Christians,  hunting  them  over  the  face 
of  the  country,  so  that  but  a  scanty  number  of 
that  mighty  host  escaped  to  tell  the  tale  of  their 
disaster. 

Taric  ben  Zeyad  considered  his  victory  incom- 
plete so  long  as  the  Gothic  monarch  survived ;  he 
proclaimed  great  rewards,  therefore,  to  whomso- 
ever should  bring  Roderick  to  him,  dead  or  alive. 


THE  LEGEND    OF  DON  RODERICK.      10& 

A.  diligent  search  was  accordingly  made  in  every 
direction,  but  for  a  long  time  in  vain ;  at  length 
a  soldier  brought  to  Taric  the  head  of  a  Chris- 
tian warrior,  on  which  was  a  cap  decorated  with 
feathers  and  precious  stones.  The  Arab  leader 
received  it  as  the  head  of  the  unfortunate  Roder- 
ick, and  sent  it,  as  a  trophy  of  his  victory,  to 
Muza  ben  Nosier,  who,  in  like  manner,  transmit- 
ted it  to  the  Caliph  at  Damascus.  The  Spanish 
historians,  however,  have  always  denied  its  iden- 
tity. 

A  mystery  has  ever  hung,  and  ever  must  con- 
tinue to  hang,  over  the  fate  of  King  Roderick, 
in  that  dark  and  doleful  day  of  Spain.  Whether 
he  went  down  amidst  the  storm  of  battle,  and 
atoned  for  his  sins  and  errors  by  a  patriot  grave, 
or  whether  he  survived  to  repent  of  them  in 
hermit  exile,  must  remain  matter  of  conjecture 
and  dispute.  The  learned  Archbishop  Rodrigo, 
who  has  recorded  the  events  of  this  disastrous 
field,  affirms  that  Roderick  fell  beneath  the  venge- 
ful blade  of  the  traitor  Julian,  and  thus  expiated 
with  his  blood  his  crime  against  the  hapless  Flo- 
rinda ;  but  the  archbishop  stands  alone  in  his 
record  of  the  fact.  It  seems  generally  admitted 
that  Orelia,  the  favorite  war-horse  of  Don  Rod- 
erick, was  found  entangled  in  a  marsh  on  the 
borders  of  the  Guadalete,  with  the  sandals  and 
mantle  and  royal  insignia  of  the  king  lying  close 
by  him.  The  river  at  this  place  ran  broad  and 
deep,  and  was  encumbered  with  the  dead  bodies 
of  warriors  and  steeds ;  it  has  been  supposed, 
therefore,  that  he  perished  in  the  stream  ;  but  his 
body  was  not  found  within  its  waters. 


JOG     THE  LEGEND  OF  DON  RODERICK. 

When  several  years  had  passed  away,  and  men's 
minds,  being  restored  to  some  degree  of  tranquil- 
lity, began  to  occupy  themselves  about  the  events 
of  this  dismal  day,  a  rumor  arose  that  Roderick 
had  escaped  from  the  carnage  on  the  banks  of  the 
Guadalete,  and  was  still  alive.  It  was  said  that 
having  from  a  rising  ground  caught  a  view  of  the 
whole  field  of  battle,  and  seen  that  the  day  was  lost, 
and  his  army  flying  in  all  directions,  he  likewise 
sought  his  safety  in  flight.  It  is  added  that  the 
Arab  horsemen,  while  scouring  the  mountains  in 
quest  of  fugitives,  found  a  shepherd  arrayed  in"  the 
royal  robes,  and  brought  him  before  the  conqueror, 
believing  him  to  be  the  king  himself.  Count  Ju- 
lian soon  dispelled  the  error.  On  being  ques- 
tioned, the  trembling  rustic  declared  that  while 
tending  his  sheep  in  the  folds  of  the  mountains, 
there  came  a  cavalier  on  a  horse  wearied  and 
spent  and  ready  to  sink  beneath  the  spur.  That 
the  cavalier  with  an  authoritative  voice  and  men- 
acing air  commanded  him  to  exchange  garments 
with  him,  and  clad  himself  in  his  rude  garb  of 
sheep-skin,  and  took  his  crook  and  his  scrip  of 
provisions,  and  continued  up  the  rugged  defiles 
of  the  mountains  leading  towards  Castile,  until  he 
was  lost  to  view.1 

This  tradition  was  fondly  cherished  by  many, 
who  clung  to  the  belief  in  the  existence  of  their 
monarch  as  their  main  hope  for  the  redemption 
of  Spain.  It  was  even  affirmed  that  he  had  taken 
refuge,  with  many  of  his  host,  in  an  island  of  tho 

1  Bleda,  Oi"*n.  L.  2,  c.  9.  4.bulcasim  Tarif  Abentanque,  L. 
I,  c.  10. 


THE  LEGEND    OF  DON  RODERICK.       107 

u  Ocean  sea,"  from  whence  he  might  yet  return 
once  more  to  elevate  his  standard,  and  battle  for 
the  recovery  of  his  throne. 

Year  after  year,  however,  elapsed,  and  nothing 
was  heard  of  Don  Roderick ;  yet,  like  Sebastian 
of  Portugal  and  Arthur  of  England,  his  name 
continued  to  be  a  rallying-point  for  popular  faith, 
and  the  mystery  of  his  end  to  give  rise  to  roman- 
tic fables.  At  length,  when  generation  after  gen- 
eration had  sunk  into  the  grave,  and  near  two 
centuries  had  passed  and  gone,  traces  were  said  to 
be  discovered  that  threw  a  light  on  the  final  for- 
tunes of  the  unfortunate  Roderick.  At  that  time 
Don  Alphonso  the  Great,  king  of  Leon,  had 
wrested  the  city  of  Viseo  in  Lusitania  from  the 
hands  of  the  Moslems.  As  his  soldiers  were 
ranging  about  the  city  and  its  environs,  one  of 
them  discovered  in  a  field,  outside  of  tfie  walls,  a 
small  chapel  or  hermitage,  with  a  sepulchre  in 
front,  on  which  was  inscribed  this  epitaph  in  Gothic 
characters  :  — 

HIC  REQUIESCIT  RUDERICUS, 
ULTIMUS  REX  GOTHORUM.1 

It  has  been  believed  by  many  that  this  was  the 
veritable  tomb  of  the  monarch,  and  that  in  this 
hermitage  he  had  finished  his  days  in  solitary  pen- 
ance. The  warrior,  as  he  contemplated  the  sup- 
posed tomb  of  the  once  haughty  Roderick,  forgot 
all  his  faults  and  errors,  and  shed  a  soldier's  tear 

1  Here  lies  Roderick, 
The  last  King  of  the  Goths. 


108       THE  LEGEND    OF  DON  RODERICK. 

over  his  memory ;  but  when  his  thoughts  turned 
to  Count  Julian,  his  patriotic  indignation  broke 
forth,  and  with  his  dagger  he  inscribed  a  rude 
malediction  on  the  stone. 

u  Accursed,"  said  he,  "  be  the  impious  and  head 
long  vengeance  of  the  traitor  Julian.  He  was  a 
murderer  of  his  king,  a  destroyer  of  his  kindred, 
a  betrayer  of  his  country.  May  his  name  be  bit- 
ter in  every  mouth,  and  his  memory  infamous  to 
all  generations." 

Here  ends  the  legend  of  Don  Roderick. 


ILLUSTRATIONS  OF  THE  FOREGOING 
LEGEND. 


THE  TOMB  OF  RODERICK. 

THE  venerable  Sebastiano,  Bishop  of  Salamanca, 
declares  that  the  inscription  on  the  tomb  at  Viseo 
in  Portugal  existed  in  his  time,  and  that  he  had 
seen  it.  A  particular  account  of  the  exile  and  her- 
mit life  of  Roderick  is  furnished  by  Berganza,  on  the 
authority  of  Portuguese  chronicles. 

"  Algunos  historiadores  Portugueses  asseguran,  que 
el  Rey  Rodrigo,  perdida  la  battalia,  huyo  a  tierra  de 
Merida,  y  se  recogio  en  el  monasterio  de  Cauliniano, 
en  dondc,  arrepentido  de  sus  culpas,  procure  con- 
Cessarlas  con  muchas  lagrimas.  Dcseando  mas  rctiro, 


THE  LEGEND  OF  DON  RODERICK.   109 

7  escogiendo  por  companero  a  un  monge  llamado  Ro- 
man, y  elevando  la  Imagen  de  Nazareth,  que  Cyriaco 
monge  de  nacion  griego  avra  traido  de  Jerusalem  ai 
monasterio  de  Cauliniano,  se  subio  a  un  inonte  muy 
aspero,  que  estaba  sobre  el  mar,  junto  al  lugar  de 
Pederneyra.  Vivio  Rodrigo  en  compania  de  el 
monge  en  el  hueco  de  una  gruta  por  espacio  de  un 
ano ;  despues  se  passo  a  la  erinita  de  san  Miguel,  quo 
estaba  cerca  de  Viseo,  en  donde  murio  y  fue  sepul- 
tado. 

"  Puedese  ver  esta  relacion  en  las  notas  de  Don 
Thomas  Tainayo  sobre  Paulo  deacano.  El  chronicon 
de  san  Millan,  que  llega  hasta  el  ano  883,  deze  que, 
hasta  su  tiempo,  si  ignora  el  fin  del  Key  Rodrigo. 
Pocos  aiios  despues  el  Rey  Don  Alonzo  el  JVIagno, 
aviendo  ganado  la  ciudad  de  Viseo,  encontro  en  una 
iglesia  el  cpitafio  que  en  romance  dize  —  aqui  yaze, 
Rodrigo,  ultimo  Rey  de  los  Godos."  —  Berganza,  L. 
i.  c.  13. 


THE  CAVE  OF  HERCULES. 

As  the  story  of  the  necromantic  tower  is  one  ot 
the  most  famous  as  well  as  least  credible  points  in 
the  history  of  Don  Roderick,  it  may  be  well  to  fortify 
or  buttress  it  by  some  account  of  another  marvel  of 
the  city  of  Toledo.  This  ancient  city,  which  dates 
its  existence  almost  from  the  time  of  the  flood,  claim- 
ing as  its  founder  Tubal,  the  son  of  Japhet,  and 
grandson  of  Noah,1  has  been  the  warrior  hold  of 
many  generations  and  a  strange  diversity  of  races. 
It  bears  traces  of  the  artifices  and  devices  of  its  va- 
rious occupants,  and  is  full  of  mysteries  and  subjects 

1  Salazar,  Hist-   Gran.   Cardinal.   PjtAvgo,  vol.  i.  |il«n   I- 


110       THE  LEGEND    OF  DON  RODERICK. 

for  antiquarian  conjecture  and  perplexity.  It  is  built 
upon  a  high  rocky  promontory,  with  the  Tagus  brawl- 
ing round  its  base,  and  is  overlooked  by  cragged  and 
precipitous  hills.  These  hills  abound  with  clefts  and 
caverns;  and  the  promontory  itself,  on  which  the 
city  is  built,  bears  traces  of  vaults  and  subterraneous 
habitations,  which  are  occasionally  discovered  under 
the  ruins  of  ancient  houses,  or  beneath  the  churches 
and  convents. 

These  are  supposed  by  some  to  have  been  the 
habitations  or  retreats  of  the  primitive  inhabitants ; 
for  it  was  the  custom  of  the  ancients,  according  to 
Pliny,  to  make  caves  in  high  and  rocky  places,  and 
live  in  them  through  fear  of  floods ;  and  such  a  pre- 
caution, says  the  worthy  Don  Pedro  de  Roxas,  in 
his  history  of  Toledo,  was  natural  enough  among  the 
first  Toledans,  seeing  that  they  founded  their  city 
shortly  after  the  deluge,  while  the  memory  of  it  was 
still  fresh  in  their  minds. 

Some  have  supposed  these  secret  caves  and  vaults 
to  have  been  places  of  concealment  of  the  inhabit- 
ants and  their  treasure  during  times  of  war  and  vio- 
lence ;  or  rude  temples  for  the  performance  of  relig- 
ious ceremonies  in  times  of  persecution.  There  are 
not  wanting  other,  and  grave  writers,  who  give  them 
a  still  darker  purpose.  In  these  caves,  say  they, 
were  taught  the  diabolical  mysteries  of  magic ;  and 
here  were  performed  those  infernal  ceremonies  and 
incantations  horrible  in  the  eyes  of  God  and  man. 
'*  History,"  says  the  worthy  Don  Pedro  de  Roxas, 
"is  full  of  accounts  that  the  magi  taught  and  per- 
formed their  magic  and  their  superstitious  rites  in 
profound  caves  and  secret  places ;  because  as  thia 
art  of  the  devil  was  prohibited  from  the"  very  origin 
of  Christianity,  they  always  sought  for  hidden  places 
in  whinh  to  practice  it."  In  the  time  of  the 


TflE  LEGEND    OF  DON  RODERICK.      Ill 

tills  art,  we  are  told,  was  publicly  taught  at  their 
universities,  the  same  as  astronomy,  philosophy,  and 
mathematics,  and  at  no  place  was  it  cultivated  with 
more  success  than  at  Toledo.  Hence  this  city  has 
ever  been  darkly  renowned  for  mystic  science ;  inso- 
much that  the  magic  art  was  called  by  the  French, 
and  by  other  nations,  the  Arte  Toledana. 

Of  all  the  marvels,  however,  of  this  ancient,  pic- 
turesque, romantic,  and  necromantic  city,  none  in 
modern  times  surpass  the  Cave  of  Hercules,  if  we 
may  take  the  account  of  Don  Pedro  de  Roxas  for 
authentic.  The  entrance  to  this  cave  is  within  the 
church  of  San  Gines,  situated  in  nearly  the  highest 
part  of  the  city.  The  portal  is  secured  by  massy 
doors,  opening  within  the  walls  of  the  church,  but 
which  are  kept  rigorously  closed.  The  cavern  ex- 
tends under  the  city  and  beneath  the  bed  of  the 
Tagus  to  the  distance  of  three  leagues  beyond.  It 
is,  in  some  places,  of  rare  architecture,  built  of  small 
stones  curiously  wrought,  and  supported  by  columns 
and  arches. 

In  the  year  1546  an  account  of  this  cavern  was 
given  to  the  archbishop  and  Cardinal  Don  Juan 
Martinez  Siliceo,  who,  desirous  of  examining  it,  or- 
dered the  entrance  to  be  cleaned.  A  number  of 
persons,  furnished  with  provisions,  lanterns,  and 
cords,  then  went  in,  and,  having  proceeded  about 
half  a  league,  came  to  a  place  where  there  was  a 
kind  of  chapel  or  temple,  having  a  table  or  altar, 
with  several  statues  of  bronze  in  niches  or  on  pedes- 
tals. 

"While  they  were  regarding  this  mysterious  scene 
of  ancient  worship  or  incantation,  one  of  the  statues 
fell,  with  a  noise  that  echoed  through  the  cavern, 
and  smote  the  hearts  of  the  adventurers  with  terror. 
Recovering  from  their  alarm,  they  proceeded  oil' 


112       THE  LEGEND    OF  DON  RODERICK. 

ward,  but  were  soon  again  dismayed  by  a  roaring 
and  rushing  sound  that  increased  as  they  advanced. 
It  was  made  by  a  furious  and  turbulent  stream,  the 
dark  waters  of  which  were  too  deep  and  broad  and 
rapid  to  be  crossed.  By  this  time  their  hearts  were 
so  chilled  with  awe,  and  their  thoughts  so  bewildered, 
that  they  could  not  seek  any  other  passage  by  which 
they  might  advance ;  so  they  turned  back  and  has- 
tened out  of  the  cave.  It  was  nightfall  when  they 
sallied  forth,  and  they  were  so  much  affected  by  the 
terror  they  had  undergone,  and  by  the  cold  and 
damp  air  of  the  cavern,  to  which  they  were  the 
more  sensible  from  its  being  in  the  summer,  that  all 
of  them  fell  sick  and  several  of  them  died.  Whether 
the  archbishop  was  encouraged  to  pursue  his  re- 
search and  gratify  his  curiosity,  the  history  does  not 
mention. 

Alonzo  Telles  de  Meneses,  in  his  history  of  the 
world,  records  that  not  long  before  his  time  a  boy 
of  Toledo,  being  threatened  with  punishment  by  his 
master,  fled  and  took  refuge  in  this  cave.  Fancying 
his  pursuer  at  his  heels,  he  took  no  heed  of  the  ob- 
scurity or  coldness  of  the  cave,  but  kept  groping  and 
blundering  forward,  until  he  came  forth  at  three 
leagues'  distance  from  the  city. 

Another  and  very  popular  story  of  this  cave,  cur- 
rent among  the  common  people,  was,  that  in  its  re- 
mote recesses  lay  concealed  a  great  treasure  of  gold, 
left  there  by  the  Romans.  Whoever  would  reach 
this  precious  hoard  must  pass  through  several  caves 
or  grottoes ;  each  having  its  particular  terror,  and  all 
under  the  guardianship  of  a  ferocious  dog,  who  has 
the  key  of  all  the  gates,  and  watches  day  and  night. 
At  the  approach  of  any  one,  he  shows  his  teeth,  and 
makes  a  hideous  growling ;  but  no  adventurer  after 
wealth  has  had  courage  to  brave  a  contest  with  this 
terrific  cerberus. 


THE  LEGEND   OF  DON  RODERICK.      113 

The  most  intrepid  candidate  on  record  was  a  poor 
m  in  who  had  lost  his  all,  and  had  those  grand  in- 
centives to  desperate  enterprise,  a  wife  and  a  large 
family  of  children.  Hearing  the  story  of  this  cave, 
he  determined  to  venture  alone  in  search  of  the 
treasure.  He  accordingly  entered,  and  wandered 
many  hours,  bewildered,  about  the  cave.  Often 
would  he  have  returned,  but  the  thoughts  of  his  wife 
and  children  urged  him  on.  At  length  he  arrived 
near  to  the  place  where  he  supposed  the  treasure  lay 
hidden ;  but  here,  to  his  dismay,  he  beheld  the  floor 
of  the  cavern  strewn  with  human  bones,  doubtless 
the  remains  of  adventurers  like  himself,  who  had 
been  torn  to  pieces. 

Losing  all  courage,  he  now  turned  and  sought  his 
way  out  of  the  cave.  Horrors  thickened  upon  him 
as  he  fled.  He  beheld  direful  phantoms  glaring  and 
gibbering  around  him,  and  heard  the  sound  of  pur- 
suit in  the  echoes  of  his  footsteps.  He  reached  his 
home  overcome  with  affright ;  several  hours  elapsed 
before  he  could  recover  speech  to  tell  his  story,  and 
he  died  on  the  following  day. 

The  judicious  Don  Pedro  de  Roxas  holds  the  ac- 
count of  the  buried  treasure  for  fabulous,  but  the 
adventure  of  this  unlucky  man  for  very  possible  — 
being  led  on  by  avarice,  or  rather  the  hope  of  re- 
trieving a  desperate  fortune.  He,  moreover,  pro- 
nounces his  dying  shortly  after  coming  forth  as  very 
probable ;  because  the  darkness  of  the  cave,  its  cold- 
ness, the  fright  at  finding  the  bones,  the  dread  of 
meeting  the  imaginary  dog,  all  joining  to  operate 
upon  a  man  who  was  j>ast  the  prime  of  his  days, 
and  enfeebled  by  poverty  and  scanty  food,  might 
easily  cause  his  death. 

Many  have  considered  this  cave  as  intended  orig- 
inally for  a  sally  or  retreat  from  the  city  in  case  it 
3 


114      THE  LEGEND    OF  DON  RODERICK. 

should  be  taken  ;  an  opinion  rendered  probable,  it  is 
thought,  by  its  grandeur  and  great  extent. 

The  learned  Salazar  de  Mendoza,  however,  in  his 
history  of  the  grand  cardinal  of  Spain,  affirms  it  as 
an  established  fact,  that  it  was  first  wrought  out  of 
the  rock  by  Tubal,  the  son  of  Japhet,  and  grandson 
of  Noah,  and  afterwards  repaired  and  greatly  aug- 
mented by  Hercules  the  Egyptian,  who  made  it  his 
habitation  after  he  had  erected  his  pillars  at  the 
Straits  of  Gibraltar.  Here,  too,  it  is  said,  he  read 
magic  to  his  followers,  and  taught  them  those  super- 
natural arts  by  which  he  accomplished  his  vast 
achievements.  Others  think  that  it  was  a  temple 
dedicated  to  Hercules,  as  was  the  case,  according  to 
Pomponius  Mela,  with  the  great  cave  in  the  rock  of 
Gibraltar ;  certain  it  is,  that  it  has  always  borne  the 
name  of  "  The  Cave  of  Hercules." 

There  are  not  wanting  some  who  have  insinuated 
that  it  was  a  work  dating  from  the  time  of  the  Ro- 
mans, and  intended  as  a  cloaca  or  sewer  of  the  city ; 
but  such  a  groveling  insinuation  will  be  treated  with 
proper  scorn  by  the  reader,  after  the  nobler  purposes 
to  which  he  has  heard  this  marvelous  cavern  conse- 
crated. 

From  all  the  circumstances  here  adduced  from 
learned  and  reverend  authors,  it  will  be  perceived 
that  Toledo  is  a  city  fruitful  of  marvels,  and  that  the 
necromantic  tower  of  Hercules  has  more  solid  foun- 
dation than  most  edifices  of  similar  import  in  ancient 
liistory. 

The  writer  of  these  pages  will  venture  to  add  the 
result  of  his  personal  researches  respecting  the  far- 
famed  cavern  in  question,  Rambling  about  Toledo 
in  the  year  1826,  in  company  with  a  small  knot  of 
antiquity  hunters,  among  whom  were  an  eminent 
British  painter,1  and  an  English  nobleman,2  who  has 
1  Mr.  D.  W-kie.  2  Lord  Mah-n. 


THE  LEGEND   OF  DON  RODERICK.     115 

since  distinguished  himself  in  Spanish  historical  re- 
search, we  directed  our  steps  to  the  church  of  San 
Gines,  and  inquired  for  the  portal  of  the  secret 
cavern.  The  sacristan  was  a  voluble  and  communi- 
cative man,  and  one  not  likely  to  be  niggard  of  his 
tongue  about  anything  he  knew,  or  slow  to  boast  of 
any  marvel  pertaining  to  his  church;  but  he  pro- 
fessed utter  ignorance  of  the  existence  of  any  such 
portal.  He  remembered  to  have  heard,  however, 
that  immediately  under  the  entrance  to  the  church 
there  was  an  arch  of  mason  work,  apparently  the 
upper  part  of  some  subterranean  portal;  but  that 
all  had  been  covered  up  and  a  pavement  laid  down 
thereon ;  so  that  whether  it  led  to  the  magic  cave  or 
the  necromantic  tower  remains  a  mystery,  and  so 
must  remain  until  some  monarch  or  archbishop  shall 
again  hav*  courage  and  authority  to  break  the  spelL 


LEGEND 

OF  THB 

SUBJUGATION  OF   SPAIN. 


LEGEND 

OF 

THE  SUBJUGATION  OF  SPAIN.1 

CHAPTER   I. 

Consternation  of  Spain.—  Conduct    of   the    Conquerors.— 
Missives  between  Taric  and  Muza. 

HE  overthrow  of  King  Roderick  and  his 
army  on  the  banks  of  the  Guadalete, 
threw  open  all  southern  Spain  to  the 
inroads  of  the  Moslems.  The  whole  country  fled 
before  them  ;  villages  and  hamlets  were  hastily 
abandoned  ;  the  inhabitants  placed  their  aged  and 
infirm,  their  wives  and  children,  and  their  most 
precious  effects,  on  mules  and  other  beasts  of  bur- 

1  In  this  legend  most  of  the  facts  respecting  the  Arab  in- 
roads into  Spain  are  on  the  authority  of  Arabian  writers,  who 
had  the  most  accurate  means  of  information.  Those  relative 
to  the  Spaniards  are  chiefly  from  old  Spanish  chronicles.  It 
is  to  be  remarked  that  the  Arab  accounts  have  most  the  air  of 
verity,  and  the  events  as  they  relate  them  are  in  the  ordinary 
course  of  common  life.  The  Spanish  accounts^  on  the  con- 
trarv,  are  full  of  the  marvelous;  for  there  were  no  greater  ro- 
mancers than  the  monkish  chroniclers. 


120    THE  SUBJUGATICN  OF  SPAIN. 

den,  and,  driving  before  them  their  flocks  and 
herds,  made  for  distant  parts  of  the  land,  for  the 
fastnesses  of  the  mountains,  and  for  such  of  the 
cities  as  yet  possessed  walls  and  bulwarks.  Many 
gave  out,  faint  and  weary,  by  the  way,  and  fell 
into  the  hands  of  the  enemy ;  others,  at  the  dis« 
taut  sight  of  a  turban  or  a  Moslem  standard,  or 
on  hearing  the  clangor  of  a  trumpet,  abandoned 
their  flocks  and  herds  and  hastened  their  flight 
with  their  families.  If  their  pursuers  gained 
upon  them,  they  threw  by  their  household  goods 
and  whatever  was  of  burden,  and  thought  them- 
selves fortunate  to  escape,  naked  and  destitute,  to  a 
place  of  refuge.  Thus  the  roads  were  covered 
with  scattered  flocks  and  herds,  and  with  spoil  of 
all  kinds. 

The  Arabs,  however,  were  not  guilty  of  wanton 
cruelty  or  ravage ;  on  the  contrary,  they  con- 
ducted themselves  with  a  moderation  but  seldom 
witnessed  in  more  civilized  conquerors.  Taric  el 
Tuerto,  though  a  thorough  man  of  the  sword, 
and  one  whose  whole  thoughts  were  warlike,  yet 
evinced  wonderful  judgment  and  discretion.  He 
checked  the  predatory  habits  of  his  troops  with  a 
rigorous  hand.  They  were  forbidden,  under  pain 
of  severe  punishment,  to  molest  any  peaceable  and 
unfortified  towns,  or  any  unarmed  and  unresisting 
people,  who  remained  quiet  in  their  homes.  No 
spoil  was  permitted  to  be  made,  excepting  in 
fields  of  battle,  in  camps  of  routed  foes,  or  in 
cities  taken  by  the  sword. 

Taric  had  little  need  to  exercise  his  severity ; 
his  orders  were  obeyed  through  love,  rather  than 


THE  SUBJUGATION  OF  SPAIN.         121 


fear,  for  he  was  the  idol  of  his  soldiery. 
admired  his  restless  and  daring  spirit,  which  noth« 
ing  could  dismay.  His  gaunt  and  sinewy  form, 
his  fiery  eye,  his  visage  seamed  with  scars,  were 
suited  to  the  hardihood  of  his  deeds  ;  and  when 
mounted  on  his  foaming  steed,  careering  the  field 
of  battle  with  quivering  lance  or  flashing  scirnetar, 
his  Arabs  would  greet  him  with  shouts  of  enthu- 
siasm. But  what  endeared  him  to  them  more 
th^n  all  was  his  soldier-like  contempt  of  gain. 
Conquest  was  his  only  passion  :  glory  the  only 
reward  he  coveted.  As  to  the  spoil  of  the  con- 
quered, he  shared  it  freely  among  his  followers, 
and  squandered  his  own  portion  with  open-handed 
generosity. 

While  Taric  was  pushing  his  triumphant  course 
through  Andalusia,  tidings  of  his  stupendous  vic- 
tory on  the  banks  of  the  Guadalete  were  carried 
to  Muza  ben  Nosier.  Messenger  after  messenger 
arrived,  vying  who  should  most  extol  the  achieve- 
ments of  the  conqueror  and  the  grandeur  of  the 
conquest.  "  Taric,"  said  they,  "  has  overthrown 
the  whole  force  of  the  unbelievers  in  one  mighty 
battle.  Their  king  is  slain  ;  thousands  and  tens 
of  thousands  of  their  warriors  are  destroyed  ;  the 
whole  land  lies  at  our  mercy  ;  and  city  after  city- 
is  surrendering  to  the  victorious  arms  of  Taric." 

The  heart  of  Muza  ben  Nosier  sickened  at 
these  tidings,  and,  instead  of  rejoicing  at  the  suc- 
cess of  the  cause  of  Islam,  he  trembled  with 
jealous  fear  lest  the  triumphs  of  Taric  in  Spain 
should  eclipse  his  own  victories  in  Africa.  He 
dispatched  missives  to  the  Caliph  Waled  Alman- 


122          THE  SUBJUGATION  OF  SPAIN. 

zor,  informing  him  of  these  new  conquests,  but 
taking  the  whole  glory  to  himself,  and  making  no 
mention  of  the  services  of  Taric ;  or  at  least,  only 
mentioning  him  incidentally  as  a  subordinate 
commander.  "  The  battles,"  said  he,  "  have  been 
terrible  as  the  day  of  judgment ;  but  by  the  aid 
of  Allah  we  have  gained  the  victory." 

He  then  prepared  in  all  haste  to  cross  over  into 
Spain  and  assume  the  command  of  the  conquer- 
ing army  ;  and  he  wrote  a  letter  in  advance  to 
interrupt  Taric  in  the  midst  of  his  career. 
"  Wherever  this  letter  may  find  thee,"  said  he, 
"  I  charge  thee  halt  with  thy  army  and  await  my 
coming.  Thy  force  is  inadequate  to  the  subjuga- 
tion of  the  land,  and  by  rashly  venturing,  thou 
mayst  lose  everything.  I  will  be  with  thee 
speedily,  with  a  reinforcement  of  troops  compe- 
tent to  so  great  an  enterprise." 

The  letter  overtook  the  veteran  Taric  while  in 
the  full  glow  of  triumphant  success,  having  over- 
run some  of  the  richest  part  of  Andalusia,  and 
just  received  the  surrender  of  the  city  of  Ecija. 
As  he  read  the  letter  the  blood  mantled  in  his 
sunburnt  cheek  and  fire  kindled  in  his  eye,  for  he 
penetrated  the  motives  of  Muza.  He  suppressed 
his  wrath,  however,  and  turning  with  a  bitter  ex- 
pression of  forced  composure  to  his  captains, 
"  Unsaddle  your  steeds,"  said  he,  "  and  plant  your 
lances  in  the  earth  ;  set  up  your  tents  and  take 
your  repose,  for  we  must  await  the  coming  of  the 
Wali  with  a  mighty  force  to  assist  us  in  our  con- 
quest." 

The  Arab  warriors  broke  forth  with  loud  mur- 


THE  SUBJUGATION  OF  SPAIN.         128 

murs  at  these  words.  "  What  need  have  we  of 
aid,"  cried  they,  "  when  the  whole  country  is  fly- 
ing before  us  ;  and  what  better  commander  can 
we  have  than  Taric  to  lead  us  on  to  victory?" 

Count  Julian,  also,  who  was  present,  now  has- 
tened to  give  his  traitorous  counsel. 

"Why  pause,"  cried  he,  "at  this  precious 
moment  ?  The  great  army  of  the  Goths  is  van- 
quished, and  their  nobles  are  slaughtered  or  dis- 
persed. Follow  up  your  blow  before  the  land 
can  recover  from  its  panic.  Overrun  the  prov- 
inces, seize  upon  the  cities,  make  yourself  master 
of  the  capital,  and  your  conquest  is  complete." l 

The  advice  of  Julian  was  applauded  by  all  the 
Arab  chieftains,  who  were  impatient  of  any  inter- 
ruption in  their  career  of  conquest.  Taric  was 
easily  persuaded  to  what  was  the  wish  of  his 
heart.  Disregarding  the  letter  of  Muza,  there- 
fore, he  prepared  to  pursue  his  victories.  For 
this  purpose  he  ordered  a  review  of  his  troops  on 
the  plain  of  Ecija.  Some  were  mounted  on 
steeds  which  they  had  brought  from  Africa ;  the 
rest  he  supplied  with  horses  taken  from  the 
Christians.  He  repeated  his  general  orders,  that 
they  should  inflict  no  wanton  injury,  nor  plunder 
any  place  that  offered  no  resistance.  They  were 
forbidden,  also,  to  encumber  themselves  with 
booty,  or  even  with  provisions ;  but  were  to 
scour  the  country  with  all  speed,  and  seize  upon 
all  its  fortresses  arid  strongholds. 

He  then  divided  his  host  into  three  several 
armies.  One  he  placed  under  the  command  of 
1  Conde,  p.  1,  c.  10. 


124 


THE  SUBJUGATION   OF  SPAIN. 


the  Greek  renegade,  Maguel  el  Rumi,  a  man  o! 
desperate  courage ;  and  sent  it  against  the  ancient 
city  of  Cordova.  Another  was  sent  against 
the  city  of  Malaga,  and  was  led  by  Zayd  ben 
Kesadi,  aided  by  the  Bishop  Oppas.  The  third 
was  led  by  Taric  himself,  and  with  this  he  deter- 
mined to  make  a  wide  sweep  through  the  king 
dom. 1 

iCkronica  de  Espana,  de  Alonzo  el  Sabio.    P.  3,  c.  1. 


CHAPTER  II. 

Capture  of  Granada.  —  Subjugation  of  the  Alpuxarra  Moun- 
tains. 

I  HE  terror  of  the  arms  of  Taric  ben 
Zeyad  went  before  him;  and,  at  the 
same  time,  the  report  of  his  lenity  to 
those  who  submitted  without  resistance.  Wher- 
ever he  appeared,  the  towns,  for  the  most  part, 
sent  forth  some  of  their  principal  inhabitants  to 
proffer  a  surrender ;  for  they  were  destitute  of 
fortifications,  and  their  fighting  men  had  perished 
in  battle.  They  were  all  received  into  allegiance 
to  the  Caliph,  and  were  protected  from  pillage  or 
molestation. 

After  marching  some  distance  through  the 
country,  he  entered  one  day  a  vast  and  beautiful 
plain,  interspersed  with  villages,  adorned  with 
groves  and  gardens,  watered  by  winding  rivers, 
and  surrounded  by  lofty  mountains.  It  was  the 
famous  vega,  or  plain  of  Granada,  destined  to  be 
for  ages  the  favorite  abode  of  the  Moslems. 
When  the  Arab  conquerors  beheld  this  delicious 
vega,  they  were  lost  in  admiration  ;  for  it  seemed 
as  if  the  Prophet  had  given  them  a  paradise  on 
eaith,  as  a  reward  for  their  services  in  his  cause* 


126          THE  SUBJUGATION   OF  SPAM. 

Taric  approached  the  city  of  Granada,  which 
had  a  formidable  aspect,  seated  on  lofty  hills  and 
fortified  with  Gothic  walls  and  towers,  and  with 
the  red  castle  or  citadel,  built  in  times  of  old  by 
the  Phoenicians  or  the  Romans.  As  the  Arab 
chieftain  eyed  the  place,  he  was  pleased  with  its 
stern  warrior  look,  contrasting  with  the  smiling 
beauty  of  its  vega,  and  the  freshness  and  volup- 
tuous abundance  of  its  hills  and  valleys.  He 
pitched  his  tents  before  its  walls,  and  made  pre- 
parations to  attack  it  with  all  his  force. 

The  city,  however,  bore  but  the  semblance  of 
power.  The  flower  of  its  youth  had  perished  in 
the  battle  of  the  Guadalete ;  many  of  the  princi- 
pal inhabitants  had  fled  to  the  mountains,  and  few 
remained  in  the  city  excepting  old  men,  women, 
and  children,  and  a  number  of  Jews,  which  last 
were  well  disposed  to  take  part  with  the  conquer- 
ors. The  city,  therefore,  readily  capitulated,  and 
was  received  into  vassalage  on  favorable  terms. 
The  inhabitants  were  to  retain  their  property, 
their  laws,  and  their  religion  ;  their  churches  and 
priests  were  to  be  respected ;  and  no  other  tribute 
was  required  of  them  than  such  as  they  had  been 
accustomed  to  pay  to  their  Gothic  kings. 

On  taking  possession  of  Granada,  Taric  garri- 
soned the  towers  and  castles,  and  left  as  alcayde 
or  ^overnor  a  chosen  warrior  named  Betiz  Aben 

O 

Habuz,  a  native  of  Arabia  Felix,  who  had  dis- 
tinguished himself  by  his  valor  and  abilities.  This 
alcayde  subsequently  made  himself  king  of  Gra- 
nada, and  built  a  palace  on  one  of  its  hills;  the 


THE  SUBJL  3  ATI  ON  OF  SPAIN.         127 

remains   of  which    may  be    seen    at  the  present 
day.1 

Even  the  delights  of  Granada  had  no  power 
to  detain  the  active  and  ardent  Taric.  To  the 
east  of  the  city  he  beheld  a  lofty  chain  of  moun- 
tains, towering  to  the  sky,  and  crowned  with  shin- 
ing snow.  These  were  the  "  Mountains  of  the 
Sun  and  Air ; "  and  the  perpetual  snows  on  their 
summits  gave  birth  to  streams  that  fertilized  the 
plains.  In  their  bosoms,  shut  up  among  cliffs 
and  precipices,  were  many  small  valleys  of  great 
beauty  and  abundance.  The  inhabitants  were  a 
bold  and  hardy  race,  who  looked  upon  their 
mountains  as  everlasting  fortresses  that  could 
never  be  taken.  The  inhabitants  of  the  sur- 
rounding country  had  fled  to  these  natural  fast- 
nesses for  refuge,  and  driven  thither  their  flocks 
and  herds. 

1  The  house  shown  as  the  ancient  residence  of  Aben  Habuz 
is  called  la  Casa  del  Gallo,  or  the  house  of  the  weathercock ; 
so  named,  says  Pedraza,  in  his  history  of  Granada,  from  a 
bronze  figure  of  an  Arab  horseman,  armed  with  lance  and 
buckler,  which  once  surmounted  it,  and  which  varied  with 
every  wind.  On  this  warlike  weathercock  was  inscribed,  in 
Arabic  characters,  — 

"  Dice  el  sabio  Aben  Habuz 
Que  asi  se  defiende  el  Andaluz." 
(In  this  way,  says  Aben  Habuz  the  Wise, 
The  Andalusian  his  foe  defies.) 

The  Casa  del  Gallo,  even  until  within  twenty  years,  possessed 
two  great  halls  beautifully  decorated  with  morisco  reliefs.  It 
then  caught  fire  and  was  so  damaged  as  to  require  to  be  nearly 
rebuilt.  It  is  now  a  manufactory  of  coarse  canvas,  and  has 
nothing  of  the  Moorish  character  remaining.  It  commands  a 
beautiful  view  of  the  city  and  the  vega. 


128  THE  SUBJUGATION  OF  SPAIN. 

Taric  felt  that  the  dominion  he  had  acquired  of 
the  plains  would  be  insecure  until  he  had  pene- 
trated and  subdued  these  haughty  mountains. 
Leaving  Aben  Habuz,  therefore,  in  command  of 
Granada,  he  marched  with  his  army  across  the 
vega,  and  entered  the  folds  of  the  sierra,  which 
stretch  towards  the  south.  The  inhabitants  fled 
with  affright  on  hearing  the  Moorish  trumpets,  or 
beholding  the  approach  of  the  turbaned  horse- 
men, and  plunged  deeper  into  the  recesses  of 
their  mountains.  As  the  army  advanced,  the 
roads  became  more  and  more  rugged  and  diffi- 
cult ;  sometimes  climbing  great  rocky  heights,  and 
at  other  times  descending  abruptly  into  deep  ra- 
vines, the  beds  of  winter  torrents.  The  mountains 
were  strangely  wild  and  sterile ;  broken  into  cliffs 
and  precipices  of  variegated  marble.  At  their 
feet  were  little  valleys,  enameled  with  groves  and 
gardens,  interlaced  with  silver  streams,  and  stud- 
ded with  villages  and  hamlets,  —  but  all  deserted 
by  their  inhabitants.  No  one  appeared  to  dis- 
pute the  inroad  of  the  Moslems,  who  continued 
their  march  with  increasing  confidence,  their  pen- 
nons fluttering  from  rock  and  cliff,  and  the  val- 
leys echoing  to  the  din  of  trumpet,  drum,  and 
cymbal.  At  length  they  came  to  a  defile  where 
the  mountains  seemed  to  have  been  rent  asunder 
to  make  way  for  a  foaming  torrent.  The  narrow 
and  broken  road  wound  along  the  dizzy  edge  of 
precipices,  until  it  came  to  where  a  bridge  was 
thrown  across  the  chasm.  It  was  a  fearful  and 
gloomy  pass ;  great  beetling  cliffs  overhung  the 
road,  and  th</  torrent  roared  below.  This  awful 


THE  SUBJUGATION   OF  SPAIN.          129 

defile  has  ever  been  famous  in  the  warlike  his- 
tory of  those  mountains,  by  the  name,  in  former 
times,  of  the  Barranco  de  Tocos,  and  at  present 
of  the  Bridge  of  Tablete.  The  Saracen  army 
entered  fearlessly  into  the  pass  ;  a  part  had  al- 
ready crossed  the  bridge,  and  was  slowly  toiling 
up  the  rugged  road  on  the  opposite  side,  when 
great  shouts  arose,  and  every  cliff  appeared  sud- 
denly peopled  with  furious  foes.  In  an  instant 
a  deluge  of  missiles  of  every  sort  was  rained 
upon  the  astonished  Moslems.  Darts,  arrows, 
javelins,  and  stones,  came  whistling  down,  sin- 
gling out  the  most  conspicuous  cavaliers ;  and 
at  times  great  masses  of  rock,  bounding  and 
thundering  along  the  mountain  side,  crushed  whole 
ranks  at  once,  or  hurled  horses  and  riders  over 
the  edge  of  the  precipices. 

It  was  in  vain  to  attempt  to  brave  this  moun-. 
tain  warfare.  The  enemy  were  beyond  the  reach 
of  missiles,  and  safe  from  pursuit ;  and  the  horses 
of  the  Arabs  were  here  an  incumbrance  rather 
than  an  aid.  The  trumpets  sounded  a  retreat, 
and  the  army  retired  in  tumult  and  confusion, 
harassed  by  the  enemy  until  extricated  from  the 
defile.  Taric,  who  had  beheld  cities  and  castles 
surrendering  without  a  blow,  was  enraged  at  being 
braved  by  a  mere  horde  of  mountain  boors,  and 
made  another  attempt  to  penetrate  the  mountains, 
but  was  again  waylaid  and  opposed  with  horrible 
slaughter. 

The  fiery  son  of  Ishmael  foamed  with  rage  at 
being  thus  checked  in  his  career  and  foiled  in  his 
revenge.  He  was  on  the  point  of  abandoning  the 
9 


130  THE  SUBJUGATION   OF  SPAIN. 

attempt,  and  returning  to  the  vega,  when  a  Chris- 
tian boor  sought  his  camp,  and  was  admitted  to 
his  presence.  The  miserable  wretch  possessed  a 
cabin  and  a  little  patch  of  ground  among  the 
mountains,  and  offered,  if  these  should  be  pro- 
tected from  ravage,  to  inform  the  Arab  comman- 
der of  a  way  by  which  troops  of  horse  might  be 
safely  introduced  into  the  bosom  of  the  sierra, 
and  the  whole  subdued.  The  name  of  this  cai- 
tiff was  Fandino,  and  it  deserves  to  be  perpetu- 
ally recorded  with  ignominy.  His  case  is  an  in- 
stance how  much  it  is  in  the  power,  at  times,  of 
the  most  insignificant  being  to  do  mischief,  and 
how  all  the  valor  of  the  magnanimous  and  the 
brave  may  be  defeated  by  the  treason  of  the  self- 
ish and  the  despicable. 

Instructed  by  this  traitor,  the  Arab  commander 
caused  ten  thousand  foot-soldiers  and  four  thous- 
and horsemen,  commanded  by  a  valiant  captain, 
named  Ibrahim  Albuxarra,  to  be  conveyed  by  sea 
to  the  little  port  of  Adra,  at  the  Mediterranean 
foot  of  the  mountains.  Here  they  landed,  and, 
guided  by  the  traitor,  penetrated  to  the  heart  of 
the  sierra,  laying  everything  waste.  The  brave 
mountaineers,  thus  hemmed  in  between  two  ar- 
mies, destitute  of  fortresses  and  without  hope  of 
succor,  were  obliged  to  capitulate ;  but  their  valor 
was  not  without  avail,  for  never,  even  in  Spain, 
did  vanquished  people  surrender  on  prouder  or 
more  honorable  terms.  We  have  named  the 
wretch  who  betrayed  his  native  mountains  ;  let 
us  equally  record  the  name  of  him  whose  pious 
patriotism  saved  them  from  desolation.  It  was  the 


THE  SUBJUGATION   OF  SPAIN.          131 

reverend  Bishop  Centerio.  While  the  warriors 
rested  on  their  arms  in  grim  and  menacing  tran- 
quillity among  the  cliffs,  this  venerable  prelate 
descended  to  the  Arab  tents  in  the  valley,  to  con- 
duct the  capitulation.  In  stipulating  for  the 
safety  of  his  people,  he  did  not  forget  that  they 
were  brave  men,  and  that  they  still  had  weapons 
in  their  hands.  He  obtained  conditions  accord- 
ingly. It  was  agreed  that  they  should  be  per- 
mitted to  retain  their  houses,  lands,  and  personal 
effects ;  that  they  should  be  unmolested  in  their 
religion,  and  their  temples  and  priests  respected  ; 
and  that  they  should  pay  no  other  tribute  than 
such  as  they  liad  been  accustomed  to  render  to 
their  kings.  Should  they  prefer  to  leave  the 
country  and  remove  to  any  part  of  Christendom, 
they  were  to  be  allowed  to  sell  their  possessions, 
and  to  take  with  them  the  money,  and  all  their 
other  effects.1 

Ibrahim  Albuxarra  remained  in  command  of 
the  territory,  and  the  whole  sierra,  or  chain  of 
mountains,  took  his  name,  which  has  since  been 
slightly  corrupted  into  that  of  the  Alpuxarras. 
The  subjugation  of  this  rugged  region,  however, 
was  for  a  long  time  incomplete  ;  many  of  the 
Christians  maintained  a  wild  and  hostile  indepen- 
dence, living  in  green  glens  and  scanty  valleys 
among  the  heights  ;  and  the  sierra  of  the  Alpux- 
arras has  in  all  ages  been  one  of  the  most  diffi- 
cult parts  of  Andalusia  to  be  subdued. 

1  Pedra-ra,  Hist.  Granad.  p.  3,  c.  2.    Bleda,  Cronica,  L  2, 
e.  Y< 


CHAPTER   III. 

Expedition  of  Magued  against  Cordova.  —  Defense  of  tbo 
Patriot  Pelistes. 

JHILE  the  veteran  Taric  was  making 
this  wide  circuit  through  the  land,  the 
expedition  under  Magued  the  renegado 
proceeded  against  the  city  of  Cordova.  The  in- 
habitants of  that  ancient  place  had  beheld  the 
great  army  of  Don  Roderick  spreading  like  an 
inundation  over  the  plain  of  the  Guadalquivir, 
and  had  felt  confident  that  it  must  sweep  the  in- 
fidel invaders  from  the  land.  What  then  was 
their  dismay  when  scattered  fugitives,  wild  with 
horror  and  affright,  brought  them  tidings  of  the 
entire  overthrow  of  that  mighty  host,  and  the 
disappearance  of  the  king !  In  the  midst  of  their 
consternation,  the  Gothic  noble  Pelistes  arrived 
at  their  gates,  haggard  with  fatigue  of  body  and 
anguish  of  mind,  and  leading  a  remnant  of  his 
devoted  cavaliers,  who  had  survived  the  dreadful 
battle  of  the  Guadalete.  The  people  of  Cordova 
knew  the  valiant  and  steadfast  spirit  of  Pelistes, 
and  rallied  round  him  as  a  last  hope.  "  Roderick 
is  fallen,"  cried  they,  "  and  we  have  neither  king 
nor  captain ;  be  unto  us  as  a  sovereign ;  take 
command  of  our  city,  and  protect  us  in  this  hour 
of  peril ! " 


THE  SUBJUGATION    OP  SPAIN.          133 

The  heart  of  Pelistes  was  free  from  ambition, 
and  was  too  much  broken  by  grief  to  be  flattered 
by  the  offer  of  command ;  but  he  felt  above 
everything  for  the  woes  of  his  country,  and  was 
ready  to  assume  any  desperate  service  in  her 
cause.  "  Your  city,"  said  he,  "  is  surrounded  by 
walls  and  towers,  and  may  yet  check  the  progress 
of  the  foe.  Promise  to  stand  by  me  to  the  last, 
and  I  will  undertake  your  defense."  The  inhab- 
itants all  promised  implicit  obedience  and  devoted 
zeal ;  for  what  will  not  the  inhabitants  of  a 
wealthy  city  promise  and  profess  in  a  moment  of 
alarm?  The  instant,  however,  that  they  heard 
of  the  approach  of  the  Moslem  troops,  the 
wealthier  citizens  packed  up  their  effects  and  fled 
to  the  mountains,  or  to  the  distant  city  of  Toledo. 
Even  the  monks  collected  the  riches  of  their  con- 
vents and  churches,  and  fled.  Pelistes,  though 
he  saw  himself  thus  deserted  by  those  who  had 
the  greatest  interest  in  the  safety  of  the  city,  yet 
determined  not  to  abandon  its  defense.  He  had 
still  his  faithful  though  scanty  band  of  cavaliers, 
and  a  number  of  fugitives  of  the  army,  in  all 
amounting  to  about  four  hundred  men.  He  sta- 
tioned guards,  therefore,  at  the  gates  and  in  the 
towers,  and  made  every  preparation  for  a  des- 
perate resistance. 

In  the  mean  time,  the  army  of  Moslems  and 
apostate  Christians  advanced,  under  the  command 
of  the  Greek  renegado  Magued,  and  guided  by 
the  traitor  Julian.  While  they  were  yet  at  some 
distance  from  the  city,  their  scouts  brought  to 
them  a  shepherd,  whom  they  had  surprised  on 


13-1  THE  SUBJUGATION    OF  SPAIN". 

the  banks  of  the  Guadalquivir.  The  trembling 
hind  was  an  inhabitant  of  Cordova,  and  revealed 
to  them  the  state  of  the  place  and  the  weakness 
of  its  garrison. 

"  And  the  walls  and  gates,"  said  Magued,  "  are 
they  strong  and  well  guarded  ?  " 

"  The  walls  are  high  and  of  wondrous  strength," 
replied  the  shepherd,  "  and  soldiers  hold  watch  at 
the  gates  by  day  and  night.  But  there  is  one 
place  where  the  city  may  be  secretly  entered.  In 
a  part  of  the  wall,  not  far  from  the  bridge,  the 
battlements  are  broken,  and  there  is  a  breach  at 
some  height  from  the  ground.  Hard  by  stands  a 
fig-tree,  by  the  aid  of  which  the  wall  may  easily 
be  scaled." 

Having  received  this  information,  Magued 
halted  with  his  army,  and  sent  forward  several 
renegado  Christians,  partisans  of  Count  Julian, 
who  entered  Cordova  as  if  flying  before  the 
enemy.  On  a  dark  and  tempestuous  night,  the 
Moslems  approached  to  the  end  of  the  bridge 
which  crosses  the  Guadalquivir,  and  remained  in 
ambush.  Magued  took  a  small  party  of  chosen 
men,  and,  guided  by  the  shepherd,  forded  the 
stream,  and  groped  silently  along  the  wall  to  the 
place  where  stood  the  fig-tree.  The  traitors,  who 
had  fraudulently  entered  the  city,  were  ready  on 
the  wall  to  render  assistance.  Magued  ordered 
his  followers  to  make  use  of  the  long  folds  of 
their  turbans  instead  of  cords,  and  succeeded 
without  difficulty  in  clambering  into  the  breach. 

Drawing  their  scimetars,  they  now  hastened  to 
the  gate  which  opened  towards  the  bridge ;  the 


THE  SUBJUGATION   OF  SPAIN.          135 

guards,  suspecting  no  assault  from  within,  were 
taken  by  surprise  and  easily  overpowered;  the 
gate  was  thrown  open,  and  the  army  that  had  re- 
mained in  ambush  rushed  over  the  bridge,  and 
entered  without  opposition. 

The  alarm  had  by  this  time  spread  throughout 
the  city;  but  already  a  torrent  of  armed  men 
was  pouring  through  the  streets.  Pelistes  sallied 
forth  with  his  cavaliers  and  such  of  the  soldiery 
as  he  could  collect,  and  endeavored  to  repel  the 
foe ;  but  every  effort  was  in  vain.  The  Chris- 
tians were  slowly  driven  from  street  to  street  and 
square  to  square,  disputing  every  inch  of  ground ; 
until,  finding  another  body  of  the  enemy  ap- 
proaching to  attack  them  in  rear,  they  took 
refuge  in  a  convent,  and  succeeded  in  throwing  to 
and  barring  the  ponderous  doors.  The  Moors 
attempted  to  force  the  gates,  but  were  assailed 
with  such  showers  of  missiles  from  the  windows 
and  battlements  that  they  were  obliged  to  retire. 
Pelistes  examined  the  convent,  and  found  it  ad- 
mirably calculated  for  defense.  It  was  of  great 
extent,  with  spacious  courts  and  cloisters.  The 
gates  were  massive,  and  secured  with  bolts  and 
bars ;  the  walls  were  of  great  thickness ;  the 
windows  high  and  grated ;  there  was  a  great  tank 
or  cistern  of  water,  and  the  friars,  who  had  fled 
from  the  city,  had  left  behind  a  good  supply  of 
provisions.  Here,  then,  Pelistes  proposed  to 
make  a  stand,  and  to  endeavor  to  hold  out  until 
succor  should  arrive  from  some  other  city.  His 
proposition  was  received  with  shouts  by  his  loyal 
cavaliers,  not  one  of  whom  but  was  ready  to  lay 
iown  his  life  in  the  service  of  his  commander. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

Defense  of  the  Convent  of  St.  George  by  Pelistes. 

I  OR  three  long  and  anxious  months  did 
the  good  knight  Pelistes  and  his  cava- 
liers defend  their  sacred  asylum  against 
the  repeated  assaults  of  the  infidels.  The  stan- 
dard of  the  true  faith  was  constantly  displayed 
from  the  loftiest  tower,  and  a  fire  blazed  there 
.hroughout  the  night,  as  signals  of  distress  to  the 
surrounding  country.  The  watchman  from  his 
turret  kept  a  wary  lookout  over  the  land,  hoping 
in  every  cloud  of  dust  to  descry  the  glittering 
helms  of  Christian  warriors.  The  country,  how- 
ever, was  forlorn  and  abandoned,  or  if  perchance 
a  human  being  was  perceived,  it  was  some  Arab 
horseman,  careering  the  plain  of  the  Guadal- 
quivir as  fearlessly  as  if  it  were  his  native  desert. 
By  degrees  the  provisions  of  the  convent  were 
consumed,  and  the  cavaliers  had  to  slay  then 
horses,  one  by  one,  for  food.  They  suffered  the 
wasting  miseries  of  famine  without  a  murmur, 
and  always  met  their  commander  with  a  smile. 
Pelistes,  however,  read  their  sufferings  in  their 
wan  and  emaciated  countenances,  and  felt  more 
for  them  than  for  himself.  He  was  grieved  at 
heart  that  such  loyalty  and  valor  should  only 
'ead  to  slavery  or  death,  and  resolved  to  make 


THE  SUBJUGATION   OF  SPAIN.          137 

one  desperate  attempt  for  tlieir  deliverance.  As- 
sembling them  one  day  in  the  court  of  the  con- 
vent, he  disclosed  to  them  his  purpose. 

**  Comrades  and  brothers  in  arms,"  said  he,  "  it 
is  needless  to  conceal  danger  from  brave  men. 
Our  case  is  desperate ;  our  countrymen  either 
know  not  or  heed  not  our  situation,  or  have  not 
the  means  to  help  us.  There  is  but  one  chance 
of  escape ;  it  is  full  of  peril,  and,  as  your  leader, 
I  claim  the  right  to  brave  it.  To-morrow,  at 
break  of  day,  I  will  sally  forth  and  make  for  the 
city  gates  at  the  moment  of  their  being  opened ; 
no  one  will  suspect  a  solitary  horseman ;  I  shall 
be  taken  for  one  of  those  recreant  Christians  who 
have  basely  mingled  with  the  enemy.  If  I  suc- 
ceed in  getting  out  of  the  city  I  will  hasten  to 
Toledo  for  assistance.  In  all  events  I  shall  be 
back  in  less  than  twenty  days.  Keep  a  vigilant 
lookout  toward  the  nearest  mountain.  If  you 
behold  five  lights  blazing  upon  its  summit,  be 
assured  I  am  at  hand  with  succor,  and  prepare 
yourselves  to  sally  forth  upon  the  city  as  I  attack 
the  gates.  Should  I  fail  in  obtaining  aid,  I  will 
return  to  die  with  you." 

When  he  had  finished,  his  warriors  would  fain 
have  severally  undertaken  the  enterprise,  and 
they  remonstrated  against  his  exposing  himself  to 
such  peril ;  but  he  was  not  to  be  shaken  from  his 
purpose.  On  the  following  morning,  ere  the  break 
of  day,  his  horse  was  led  forth,  caparisoned,  into 
the  court  of  the  convent,  and  Pelistes  appeared 
in  complete  armor.  Assembling  his  cavaliers  in 
the  chapel,  he  prayed  with  them  for  some  timo 


138          THE  SUBJUGATION    OF  SPA.N. 

before  the  altar  of  the  holy  Virgin.  Then  rising 
and  standing  in  the  midst  of  them,  "  God  knows, 
my  companions,"  said  he,  "  whether  we  have  any 
longer  a  country ;  if  not,  better  were  we  in  our 
graves.  Loyal  and  true  have  ye  been  to  me,  and 
loyal  have  ye  been  to  my.  son,  even  to  the  hour  of 
his  death ;  and  grieved  am  I  that  I  have  no  other 
means  of  proving  my  love  for  you,  than  by  ad- 
venturing my  worthless  life  for  your  deliverance. 
All  I  ask  of  you  before  I  go,  is  a  solemn  promise 
to  defend  yourselves  to  the  last  like  brave  men 
pjid  Christian  cavaliers,  and  never  to  renounce 
your  faith,  or  throw  yourselves  on  the  mercy  of 
the  renegado  Magued,  or  the  traitor  Julian." 
They  all  pledged  their  words,  and  took  a  solemn 
oath  to  the  same  effect  before  the  altar. 

Pelistes  then  embraced  them  one  by  one, 
and  gave  them  his  benediction,  and  as  he  did  so 
his  heart  yearned  over  them,  for  he  felt  towards 
them,  not  merely  as  a  companion  in  arms  and  as 
a  commander,  but  as  a  father ;  and  he  took  leave 
of  them  as  if  he  had  been  going  to  his  death. 
The  warriors,  on  their  part,  crowded  round  him 
in  silence,  kissing  his  hands  and  the  hem  of  his 
surcoat,  and  many  of  the  sternest  shed  tears. 

The  gray  of  the  dawning  had  just  streaked  the 
east,  when  Pelistes  took  lance  in  hand,  hung  his 
shield  about  his  neck,  and  mounting  his  steed, 
issued  quietly  forth  from  a  postern  of  the  con- 
vent. He  paced  slowly  though  the  vacant  streets, 
and  the  tramp  of  liis  steed  echoed  afar  in  that 
silent  hour ;  but  no  one  suspected  a  •  warrior, 
moving  thus  singly  and  tranquilly  in  an  armed 


THE  SUBJUGATION    OF  SPAIN.          139 

city,  to  be  an  enemy,  lie  arrived  at  the  gate 
just  at  the  hour  of  opening  ;  a  foraging  party  was 
entering  with  cattle  and  with  beasts  of  burden,, 
and  he  passed  unheeded  through  the  throng.  As 
soon  as  he  was  out  of  sight  of  the  soldiers  who 
guarded  the  gate,  he  quickened  his  pace,  and  at 
length,  galloping  at  full  speed,  succeeded  in  gaming 
the  mountains.  Here  he  paused,  and  alighted  at  a 
solitary  farm-house  to  breathe  his  panting  steed ; 
but  had  scarce  put  foot  to  ground  when  he  heard 
the  distant  sound  of  pursuit,  and  beheld  a  horse- 
man spurring  up  the  mountain. 

Throwing  himself  again  upon  his  steed,  he 
abandoned  the  road  and  galloped  across  the  rugged 
heights.  The  deep  dry  channel  of  a  torrent 
checked  his  career,  and  his  horse  stumbling  upon 
the  margin,  rolled  with  his  rider  to  the  bottom. 
Pelistes  was  sorely  bruised  by  the  fall,  and  his 
whole  visage  was  bathed  in  blood.  His  horse,  too, 
was  maimed  and  unable  to  stand,  so  that  there 
was  no  hope  of  escape.  The  enemy  drew  near, 
and  proved  to  be  no  other  than  Magued  the  rene- 
gado  general,  who  had  perceived  him  as  he  issued 
forth  from  the  city  and  had  followed  singly  in 
pursuit.  "  Well  met,  senor  alcaid ! "  exclaimed 
he,  "and  overtaken  in  good  time.  Surrender 
yourself  my  prisoner." 

Pelistes  made  no  other  reply  than  by  drawing 
his  sword,  bracing  his  shield,  and  preparing  for 
defense.  Magued,  though  an  apostate,  and  a 
fierce  warrior,  possessed  some  sparks  of  knightly 
magnanimity.  Seeing  his  adversary  dismounted, 
he  disdained  to  take  him  at  a  disadvantage,  but, 
alighting,  tied  his  horse  to  a  tree. 


140          THE  SUBJUGATION    OF  SPAIN. 

The  conflict  that  ensued  was  desperate  ami 
doubtful,  for  seldom  had  two  warriors  met  so  well 
matched  or  of  equal  prowess.  Their  shields  were 
hacked  to  pieces,  the  ground  was  strewed  with 
fragments  of  their  armor,  and  stained  with  their 
blood.  They  paused  repeatedly  to  take  breath, 
regarding  each  other  with  wonder  and  admiration. 
Pelistes,  however,  had  been  previously  injured  by 
his  fall,  and  fought  to  great  disadvantage.  The 
renegado  perceived  it,  and  sought  not  to  slay  him, 
but  to  take  him  alive.  Shifting  his  ground  con- 
tinually, he  wearied  his  antagonist,  who  was  grow- 
ing weaker  and  weaker  from  the  loss  of  blood. 
At  length  Pelistes  seemed  to  summon  up  all  his 
remaining  strength  to  make  a  signal  blow ;  it  was 
skillfully  parried,  and  he  fell  prostrate  upon  the 
ground.  The  renegado  ran  up,  and  putting  his 
foot  upon  his  sword,  and  the  point  of  his  scimetar 
to  his  throat,  called  upon  him  to  ask  his  life ;  but 
Pelistes  lay  without  sense,  and  as  one  dead. 
Magued  then  unlaced  the  helmet  of  his  vanquished 
enemy,  and  seated  himself  on  a  rock  beside  him, 
to  recover  breath.  In  this  situation  the  warriors 
were  found  by  certain  Moorish  cavaliers,  who 
marveled  much  at  the  traces  of  that  stern  and 
bloody  combat. 

Finding  there  was  yet  life  in  the  Christian 
knight,  they  laid  him  upon  one  of  their  horses, 
and  aiding  Magued  to  remount  his  steed,  pro- 
ceeded slowly  to  the  city.  As  the  convoy  passed 
by  the  convent,  the  cavaliers  looked  forth  and  be- 
held their  commander  borne  along  bleeding  and  a 
captive.  Furious  at  the  sight,  they  sallied  forth 


THE  SUBJUGATION    OF  SPAIN.          141 

to  the  rescue,  hut  were  repulsed  by  a  superior 
force  and  driven  back  to  the  great  portal  of  the 
church.  The,  enemy  entered  pell-mell  with  them, 
fighting  from  aisle  to  aisle,  from  altar  to  altar,  and 
in  the  courts  and  cloisters  of  the  convent.  The 
greater  part  of  the  cavaliers  died  bravely,  sword 
in  hand  ;  the  rest  were  disabled  with  wounds  and 
made  prisoners.  The  convent,  which  was  lately 
their  castle,  was  now  made  their  prison,  and  in 
after-times,  in  commemoration  of  this  event,  was 
consecrated  by  the  name  of  St.  George  of  the 
Captive?. 


CHAPTER  V. 

Meeting  between  the  Patriot  Pelistes  and  the  Traitor  Julian 

[HE  loyalty  and  prowess  of  the  good 
knight  Pelistes  had  gained  him  the  rev- 
erence even  of  his  enemies.  He  waa 
for  a  long,  time  disabled  by  his  wounds,  during 
which  he  was  kindly  treated  by  the  Arab  chief- 
tains, who  strove  by  every  courteous  means  to 
cheer  his  sadness  and  make  him  forget  that  he 
was  a  captive.  When  he  was  recovered  from 
his  wounds  tbey  gave  him  a  magnificent  banquet, 
to  testify  their  admiration  of  his  virtues. 

Pelistes  appeared  at  the  banquet  clad  in  sable 
armor,  and  with  a  countenance  pale  and  dejected, 
for  the  ills  of  his  country  evermore  preyed  upon 
his  heart.  Among  the  assembled  guests  was 
Count  Julian,  who  held  a  high  command  in  the 
Moslem  army,  and  was  arrayed  in  garments  of 
mingled  Christian  and  morisco  fashion.  Pelistes 
had  been  a  close  and  bosom  friend  of  Julian  in 
former  times,  and  had  served  with  him  in  the 
wars  in  Africa,  but  when  the  count  advanced  to 
accost  him  with  his  wonted  amity,  he  turned 
away  in  silence  and  deigned  not  to  notice  him 
ueither,  during  the  whole  of  the  repast,  did  he 


T1IK  SUBJUGATION    OF  SPAIN,          143 

address  to  him  ever  a  word,  but  treated  him  as 
one  unknown. 

When  the  banquet  was  nearly  at  a  close,  the 
discourse  turned  upon  the  events  of  the  war,  and 
the  Moslem  chieftains,  in  great  courtesy,  dwelt 
upon  the  merits  of  many  of  the  Christian  cav- 
aliers who  had  fallen  in  battle,  and  all  extolled 
the  valor  of  those  who  had  recently  perished  in 
the  defense  of  the  convent.  Pelistes  remained 
silent  for  a  time,  and  checked  the  grief  which 
swelled  within  his  bosom  as  he  thought  of  his 
devoted  cavaliers.  At  length,  lifting  up  Lis 
voice,  "  Happy  are  the  dead,  said  he,"  "  for  they 
rest  in  peace,  and  are  gone  to  receive  the  reward 
of  their  piety  and  valor !  I  could  mourn  over 
the  loss  of  my  companions  in  arms,  but  they  have 
fallen  with  honor  and  are  spared  the  wretched- 
ness I  feel  in  witnessing  the  thraldom  of  my 
country.  I  have  seen  my  only  son,  the  pride  and 
hope  of  my  age,  cut  down  at  my  side  ;  I  have 
beheld  kindred,  friends,  and  followers  falling  one 
by  one  around  me,  and  have  become  so  seasoned 
to  those  losses  that  I  have  ceased  to  weep.  Yet 
there  is  one  man  over  whose  loss  I  will  never 
cease  to  grieve.  He  was  the  loved  companion  of 
my  youth,  and  the  steadfast  associate  of  my 
graver  years.  He  was  one  of  the  most  loyal  of 
Christian  knights.  As  a  friend,  he  was  loving 
and  sincere ;  as  a  warrior,  his  achievements  were 
above  all  praise.  What  has  become  of  him, 
alas,  I  know  not!  If  fallen  in  battle,  and  J 
knew  where  his  bones  were  laid,  whether  bleach- 
ing on  /he  plains  of  Xeres  or  buried  in  the  waturj 


144          THE  SUBJUGATION   OF  SPAIN. 

of  the  Guadalete,  I  would  seek  them  out  and  en- 
shrine them  as  the  relics  of  a  sainted  patriot.  Or 
if,  like  many  of  his  companions  in  arms,  he  should 
be  driven  to  wander  in  foreign  lands,  I  would 
join  him  in  his  hapless  exile,  and  we  would 
mourn  together  over  the  desolation  of  our  coun- 
try!" 

Even  the  hearts  of  the  Arab  warriors  were 
touched  by  the  lament  of  the  good  Pelistes,  and 
they  said — <;  Who  was  this  peerless  friend  in  whose 
praise  thou  art  so  fervent  ?  " 

"  His  name,"  replied  Pelistes,  "  was  Count 
Julian." 

The  Moslem  warriors  started  with  surprise. 
"  Noble  cavalier,"  exclaimed  they,  "  has  grief 
disordered  thy  senses  ?  Behold  thy  friend  living 
and  standing  before  thee,  and  yet  thou  dost  not 
know  him  !  This,  this  is  Count  Julian  ! " 

Upon  this,  Pelistes  turned  his  eyes  upon  the 
count,  and  regarded  him  for  a  time  with  a  lofty 
and  stern  demeanor;  and  the  countenance  of 
Julian  darkened,  and  was  troubled,  and  his  eye 
sank  beneath  the  regard  of  that  loyal  and  honor- 
able cavalier.  And  Pelistes  said,  "  In  the  uame 
of  God,  I  charge  thee,  man  -unknown !  to  answer. 
Dost  thou  presume  to  call  thyself  Count  Julian  ?  " 

The  count  reddened  with  anger  at  these  words. 
"  Pelistes,"  said  he,  "  what  means  this  mockery  ? 
thou  knowest  me  well ;  thou  knowest  me  for 
Count  Julian." 

"  I  know  thee  for  a  base  imposter ! "  cried  Pel- 
istes.  "  Count  Julian  was  a  noble  Gothic  knight; 
but  thou  appearest  in  mongrel  Moorish  garb. 


THE  SUBJUGATION   OF  SPAIN.          145 

Count  Julian  was  a  Christian,  faithful  and  devout ; 
but  I  behold  in  thee  a  renegade  and  an  infidel. 
Count  Julian  was  ever  loyal  to  his  king,  and  fore- 
most in  his  country's  cause ;  were  he  living,  he 
would  be  the  first  to  put  shield  on  neck  and  lance 
in  rest,  to  clear  the  land  of  her  invaders;  but 
thou  art  a  hoary  traitor ;  thy  hands  are  stained 
with  the  royal  blood  of  the  Goths,  and  thou  hast 
betrayed  thy  country  and  thy  God.  Therefore,  I 
again  repeat,  man  unknown  !  if  thou  sayest  thou 
art  Count  Julian,  thou  liest !  My  friend,  alas,  is 
dead  ;  and  thou  art  some  fiend  from  hell,  which 
hast  taken  possession  of  his  body  to  dishonor  his 
memory  and  render  him  an  abhorrence  among 
men  ! "  So  saying,  Pelistes  turned  his  back  upon 
the  traitor,  and  went  forth  from  the  banquet; 
leaving  Count  Julian  overwhelmed  with  confusion, 
and  an  object  of  scorn  to  all  the  Moslem  cav- 
aliers. 


10 


CHAPTER  VI. 

ft  »w  Taric  El  Tuerto  captured  the  City  of  Toledo  through 
the  aid  of  the  Jews,  and  how  ho  found  the  famous  Talia- 
manic  Table  of  Solomon. 

JIIILE  these  events  were  passing  in  Cor- 
dova, the  one-eyed  Arab  general,  Taric 
el  Tuerto,  having  subdued  the  city  and 
voga  of  Granada,  and  the  Mountains  of  the  Sun 
and  Air,  directed  his  march  into  the  interior  of 
the  kingdom,  to  attack  the  ancient  city  of  Toledo, 
the  capital  of  the  Gothic  kings.  So  great  was 
the  terror  caused  by  the  rapid  conquests  of  the 
invaders,  that  at  the  very  rumor  of  their  ap- 
proach many  of  the  inhabitants,  though  thus  in 
the  very  citadel  of  the  kingdom,  abandoned  it 
and  fled  to  the  mountains  with  their  families. 
Enough  remained,  however,  to  have  made  a  for- 
midable defense ;  and,  as  the  city  was  seated  on 
a  lofty  rock,  surrounded  by  massive  walls  and 
towers,  and  almost  girdled  by  the  Tagus,  it 
threatened  a  long  resistance.  The  Arab  war- 
riors pitched  their  tents  in  the  vega,  on  the  bor- 
ders of  the  river,  and  prepared  for  a  tedious 
siege. 

One  evening,  as  Taric  was  seated  in  his  tent, 
Heditating  on  the  mode  in  which  he  should  assail 
Jhis  rock-built  city,  certain  of  the  patrols  of  the 


THE  SUBJUGATION    OF  SPAIN.          147 

camp  brought  a  stranger  before  him.  "  As  we 
were  going  our  rounds,"  said  they,  "  we  beheld 
this  man  lowered  down  with  cords  from  a  tower, 
and  he  delivered  himself  into  our  hands,  praying 
to  be  conducted  to  thy  presence,  that  he  might 
reveal  to  thee  certain  things  important  for  thee 
to  know." 

Taric  fixed  his  eyes  upon  the  stranger ;  he  wa? 
a  Jewish  rabbi,  with  a  long  beard  which  spread 
upon  his  gabardine,  and  descended  even  to  his 
girdle.  "  What  hast  thou  to  reveal  ?  "  said, he  to 
the  Israelite.  "  What  I  have  to  reveal,"  replied 
the  other,  "  is  for  thee  alone  to  hear ;  command, 
then,  I  entreat  thee,  that  these  men  withdraw." 
When  they  were  alone  he  addressed  Taric  in 
Arabic  :  "  Know,  O  leader  of  the  host  of  Islam," 
said  he,  "that  I  am  sent  to  thee  on  the  part  of 
the  children  of  Israel,  resident  in  Toledo.  We 
have  been  oppressed  and  insulted  by  the  Chris- 
tians in  the  time  of  their  prosperity,  and  now 
that  they  are  threatened  with  siege,  they  have 
taken  from  us  all  our  provisions  and  our  money ; 
they  have  compelled  us  to  work  like  slaves,  re- 
pairing their  walls;  and  they  oblige  us  to  bear 
arms  and  guard  a  part  of  the  towers.  We  abhor 
their  yoke,  and  are  ready,  if  thou  wilt  receive  us 
as  subjects,  and  permit  us  the  free  enjoyment  of 
our  religion  and  our  property,  to  deliver  the 
towers  we  guard  into  thy  hands,  and  to  give  thee 
safe  entrance  into  the  city." 

The  Arab  chief  was  overjoyed  at  this  proposi- 
tion, and  he  rendered  much  honor  to  the  rabbi, 
tnd  gave  orders  to  clothe  him  in  a  costly  robe, 


148          THE  SUBJUGATION  OF  SPAIN. 

and  to  perfume  his  beard  with  essences  of  a 
pleasant  odor,  so  that  he  was  the  most  sweet- 
smelling  of  his  tribe ;  and  he  said,  "  Make  thy 
words  good,  and  put  me  in  possession  of  the  city, 
and  I  will  do  all  and  more  than  thou  hast  re- 
quired, and  will  bestow  countless  wealth  upon 
thee  and  thy  brethren." 

Then  a  plan  was  devised  between  them  by 
which  the  city  was  to  be  betrayed  and  given  up. 
"  But  how  shall  I  be  secured,"  said  he,  "  that  all 
thy  trjbe  will  fulfill  what  thou  hast  engaged,  and 
that  this  is  not  a  stratagem  to  get  me  and  my 
people  into  your  power  ?  " 

"  This  shall  be  thy  assurance,"  replied  the 
rabbi ;  "  ten  of  the  principal  Israelites  will  come 
to  this  tent  and  remain  as  hostages." 

"  It  is  enough,"  said  Taric ;  and  he  made  oath 
to  accomplish  all  that  he  had  promised ;  and  the 
Jewish  hostages  came  and  delivered  themselves 
into  his  hands. 

On  a  dark  night  a  chosen  band  of  Moslem 
warriors  approached  the  part  of  the  walls  guarded 
by  the  Jews,  and  were  secretly  admitted  into  a 
postern  gate  and  concealed  within  a  tower. 
Three  thousand  Arabs  were  at  the  same  time 
placed  in  ambush  among  rocks  and  thickets,  in  a 
place  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  command- 
ing a  view  of  the  city.  On  the  following  morn- 
ing Taric  ravaged  the  gardens  of  the  valley,  and 
8et  fire  to  the  farm-houses,  and  then,  breaking  up 
his  camp,  marched  off  as  if  abandoning  the  siege. 

The  people  of  Toledo  gazed  with  astonishment 
from  their  walls  at  the  retiring  squadrons  of  the 


THE  SUBJUGATION   OF  .SPAIN.          149 

enemy,  and  scarcely  could  credit  their  unexpected 
deliverance ;  before  night  there  was  not  a  turban 
nor  a  hostile  lance  to  be  seen  in  the  vega.  They 
attributed  it  all  to  the  special  intervention  of 
their  patron  saint,  Leocadia;  and  the  following 
day  being  Palm  Sunday,  they  sallied  forth  in 
procession,  man,  woman,  and  child,  to  the  church 
of  that  blessed  saint,  which  is  situated  without 
the  walls,  that  they  might  return  thanks  for  her 
marvelous  protection. 

When  all  Toledo  had  thus  poured  itself  forth, 
and  was  marching  with  cross  and  relic  and  solemn 
chant  towards  the  chapel,  the  Arabs  who  had 
been  concealed  in  the  tower  rushed  forth,  and 
barred  the  gates  of  the  city.  While  some 
guarded  the  gates,  others  dispersed  themselves 
about  the  streets,  slaying  all  who  made  resistance  ; 
and  others  kindled  a  fire  and  made  a  column  of 
smoke  on  the  top  of  the  citadel.  At  sight  of 
this  signal,  the  Arabs  in  ambush  beyond  the  river 
rose  with  a  great  shout,  and  attacked  the  multi- 
tude who  were  thronging  to  the  church  of  St. 
Leocadia.  There  was  a  great  massacre,  although 
the  people  were  without  arms  and  made  no  re- 
sistance ;  and  it  is  said  in  ancient  chronicles  that 
it  was  the  apostate  Bishop  Oppas  who  guided  the 
Moslems  to  their  prey,  and  incited  them  to  this 
slaughter.  The  pious  reader,  says  Fray  Antonio 
Agapida,  will  be  slow  to  believe  such  turpitude ; 
but  there  is  nothing  more  venomous  than  the 
rancor  of  an  apostate  priest ;  for  the  best  things 
in  this  world,  when  corrupted,  become  tha  worst 
and  most  baneful. 


150          THE  SUBJUGATION  OF  SPAIX. 

Many  of  the  Christians  had  taken  refuge 
within  the  church,  and  had  barred  the  doors,  but 
Oppas  commanded  that  fire  should  be  set  to  the 
portals,  threatening  to  put  every  one  within  to 
the  sword.  Happily  the  veteran  Taric  arrived 
just  in  time  to  stay  the  fury  of  this  reverend 
renegade.  He  ordered  the  trumpets  to  call  off 
the  troops  from  the  carnage,  and  extended  grace 
to  all  the  surviving  inhabitants.  They  were  per- 
mitted to  remain  in  quiet  possession  of  their 
homes  and  effects,  paying  only  a  moderate  trib- 
ute ;  and  they  were  allowed  to  exercise  the  rites 
of  their  religion  in  the  existing  churches,  to  the 
number  of  seven,  but  were  prohibited  from  erect- 
ing any  others.  Those  who  preferred  to  leave 
the  city  were  suffered  to  depart  in  safety,  but  not 
to  take  with  them  any  of  their  wealth. 

Immense  spoil  was  found  by  Taric  in  the 
alcazar,  or  royal  castle,  situated  on  a  rocky  emi- 
nence in  the  highest  part  of  the  city.  Among 
the  regalia  treasured  up  in  a  secret  chamber  were 
twenty-five  regal  crowns  of  fine  gold,  garnished 
with  jacinths,  amethysts,  diamonds,  and  other 
precious  stones.  These  were  the  crowns  of  the 
different  Gothic  kings  who  had  reigned  in  Spain  ; 
it  having  been  the  usage  on  the  death  of  each 
king  to  deposit  his  crown  in  this  treasury,  in- 
scribing on  it  his  name  and  age.1 

When  Taric  was  thus  in  possession  of  the  city, 
the  Jews  came  to  him  in  procession,  with  songs 
and  dances  and  the  sound  of  timbrel  and  psaltery, 

1  Conde  Hist,  de  las  Arabes  en  Espaiia,  c.  12. 


THE  SUBJUGATION   OF  SPAIN.          151 

hailing  him  as  their  lord,  and  reminding  him  of 
his  promises. 

The  son  of  Ishmael  kept  his  word  with  the 
children  of  Israel ;  they  were  protected  in  the 
possession  of  all  their  wealth  and  the  exercise  of 
their  religion,  and  were,  moreover,  rewarded  with 
jewels  of  gold  and  jewels  of  silver  and  much 
moneys.* 

A  subsequent  expedition  was  led  by  Taric 
against  Guadalaxara,  which  surrendered  without 
resistance ;  he  moreover  captured  the  city  of 
Medina  Celi,  where  he  found  an  inestimable  table 
which  had  formed  a  part  of  the  spoil  taken  at 
Rome  by  Alaric,  at  the  time  that  the  sacred  city 
was  conquered  by  the  Goths.  It  was  composed 
of  one  single  and  entire  emerald,  and  possessed 
talismanic  powers ;  for  traditions  affirm  that  it  was 
the  work  of  genii,  and  had  been  wrought  by  them 
for  King  Solomon  the  Wise,  the  son  of  David. 
This  marvelous  relic  was  carefully  preserved  by 
Taric,  as  the  most  precious  of  all  his  spoils,  being 
intended  by  him  as  a  present  to  the  caliph ;  and 
'in  commemoration  of  it  the  city  was  called  by  the 
Arabs  Medina  Almeyda,  —  that  is  to  say,  "  The 
City  of  the  Table."2 

1  The  stratagem  of  the  Jews  of  Toledo  is  recorded  briefly 
by  Bishop  Lucas  de  Tuy,  in  his  chronicle,  but  is  related  at 
large  in  the  chronicle  of  the  Moor  Rasis. 

2  According  to  Arabian  legends,  this  table  was  a  mirror  re- 
vealing all  great  events ;  insomuch  that  by  looking  on  it  the 
possessor  might  behold  battles  and  sieges  and  feats  of  chivalry, 
in d  all  actions  worthy  of  renown ;  and  might  thus  ascertain 
the   truth  of  all  historic  transactions.     It  was  a  mirror  of 
history  therefore;  and  had  very  probably  aided  King  Solomon 


152          THE  SUBJUGATION  OF  SPAIN. 

Having  made  these  and  other  conquests  of  less 
importance,  and  having  collected  great  quantities 
of  gold  and  silver,  and  rich  stuffs  and  precious 
stones,  Taric  returned  with  his  booty  to  the  royal 
city  of  Toledo. 

in  acquiring  that  prodigious  knowledge  and  wisdom  for  which 
he  was  renowned 


CHAPTER  VII. 

Musa  bon  Nosier;  His  Entrance  into  Spain  an!  Capture  ol 
Carmona. 

|ET  us  leave  for  a  season  the  bold  Taric 
in  his  triumphant  progress  from  city  to 
city,  while  we  turn  our  eyes  to  Muza 
ben  Nosier,  the  renowned  emir  of  Almagreb,  and 
the  commander-in-chief  of  the  Moslem  forces  of 
the  West.  When  that  jealous  chieftain  had  dis- 
patched his  letter  commanding  Taric  to  pause  and 
await  his  coming,  he  immediately  made  every 
preparation  to  enter  Spain  with  a  powerful  rein- 
forcement, and  to  take  command  of  the  conquer- 
ing army.  He  left  his  eldest  son,  Abdalasis,  in 
Caervan,  with  authority  over  Almagreb,  or  West- 
ern Africa.  This  Abdalasis  was  in  the  flower  of 
his  youth,  and  beloved  by  the  soldiery  for  the 
magnanimity  and  the  engaging  affability  which 
graced  his  courage. 

Muza  ben  Nosier  crossed  the  Strait  of  Hercules 
with  a  chosen  force  of  ten  thousand  horse  and 
eight  thousand  foot,  Arabs  and  Africans.  He 
was  accompanied  by  his  two  sons,  Meruan  and 
Abdelola,  and  by  numerous  illustrious  Arabian 
cavaliers  of  the  tribe  of  the  Koreish.  He  landed 
his  shining  legions  on  the  coast  of  Andalusia, 
and  pitched  his  tents  near  to  the  Guadiana. 


154          THE  SUBJUGATION   OF  SPAIN. 

There  first  he  received  intelligence  of  the  dis- 
obedience of  Taric  to  his  orders,  and  that,  with- 
out waiting  his  arrival,  the  impetuous  chieftain 
had  continued  his  career,  and  with  his  light  Arab 
squadrons  had  overrun  and  subdued  the  noblest 
provinces  and  cities  of  the  kingdom. 

The  jealous  spirit  of  Muza  was  still  more  ex- 
asperated by  these  tidings ;  he  looked  upon  Taric 
no  longer  as  a  friend  and  coadjutor,  but  as  an  in- 
vidious rival,  the  decided  enemy  of  his  glory,  and 
he  determined  on  his  ruin.  His  first  considera- 
tion, however,  was  to  secure  to  himself  a  share  in. 
the  actual  conquest  of  the  land  before  it  should 
be  entirely  subjugated. 

Taking  guides,  therefore,  from  among  his 
Christian  captives,  he  set  out  to  subdue  such 
parts  of  the  country  as  had  not  been  visited  by 
Taric.  The  first  place  which  he  assailed  was  the 
ancient  city  of  Carmona  ;  it  was  not  of  great 
magnitude,  but  was  fortified  with  high  walls  and 
massive  towers,  and  many  of  the  fugitives  of  the 
late  army  had  thrown  themselves  into  it. 

The  Goths  had  by  this  time  recovered  from 
their  first  panic  ;  they  had  become  accustomed  to 
the  sight  of  Moslem  troops,  and  their  native 
courage  had  been  roused  by  danger.  Shortly 
after  the  Arabs  had  encamped  before  their  walls, 
a  band  of  cavaliers  made  a  sudden  sally  one 
morning  before  the  break  of  day,  fell  upon  the 
enemy  by  surprise,  killed  above  three  hundred  of 
them  in  their  tents,  and  effected  their  retreat  into 
the  city  ;  leaving  twenty  of  their  number  dead, 
covered  with  honorable  wounds,  and  in  the  very 
centre  of  the  camp. 


THE  SUBJUGATION   OF  SPAIN.          155 

On  the  following  day  they  made  another  sally, 
nnd  fell  on  a  different  quarter  of  the  encamp- 
ment ;  but  the  Arabs  were  on  their  guard,  and 
met  them  with  superior  numbers.  After  fighting 
fiercely  for  a  time,  they  were  routed,  and  fled 
full  speed  for  the  city,  with  the  Arabs  hard  upon 
their  traces.  The  guards  within  feared  to  open 
the  gate,  lest  with  their  friends  they  should  admit 
a  torrent  of  enemies.  Seeing  themselves  thus 
shut  out,  the  fugitives  determined  to  die  like 
brave  soldiers  rather  than  surrender.  Wheeling 
suddenly  round,  they  opened  a  path  through  the 
host  of  their  pursuers,  fought  their  way  back  to 
the  camp,  and  raged  about  it  with  desperate  fury 
until  they  were  all  slain,  after  having  killed  above 
uight  hundred  of  the  enemy.1 

Muza  now  ordered  that  the  place  should  be 
taken  by  storm.  The  Moslems  assailed  it  on  all 
sides,  but  were  vigorously  resisted ;  many  were 
slain  by  showers  of  stones,  arrows,  and  boiling 
pitch,  and  many  who  had  mounted  with  scaling- 
ladders  were  thrown  headlong  from  the  battle- 
ments. The  alcayde,  Galo,  aided  solely  by  two 
men,  defended  a  tower  and  a  portion  of  the  wall, 
killing  and  wounding  with  a  cross-bow  more  than 
eighty  of  the  enemy.  The  attack  lasted  above 
half  a  day,  when  the  Moslems  were  repulsed  with 
the  loss  of  fifteen  hundred  men. 

Muza  was  astonished  and  exasperated  at  meet- 
ing with  such  formidable  resistance  from  so  small 
R  city ;  for  it  was  one  of  the  few  places,  during 
that  memorable  conquest,  where  the  Gothic  valor 
1  Abulcasim,  PercKda  de  Espana,  L.  1  c.  13. 


156          THE  SUBJUGATION  OF  SPAIN. 

shone  forth  with  its  proper  lustre.  While  the 
Moslem  army  lay  encamped  before  the  place,  it 
was  joined  by  Magued  the  renegado,  arid  Count 
Julian  the  traitor,  with  one  thousand  horsemen  ; 
most  of  them  recreant  Christians,  base  betrayers 
of  their  country,  and  more  savage  in  their  war- 
fare than  the  Arabs  of  the  desert.  To  find  favor 
in  the  eyes  of  Muza,  and  to  evince  his  devotion 
to  the  cause,  the  count  undertook,  by  wily  strata- 
gem, to  put  this  gallant  city  in  his  power. 

One  evening,  just  at  twilight,  a  number  of 
Christians,  habited  as  travelling  merchants,  ar- 
rived at  one  of  the  gates,  conducting  a  train  of 
mules  laden  with  arms  and  warlike  munitions. 
**  Open  the  gate  quickly,"  cried  they ;  "  we  bring 
supplies  for  the  garrison,  but  the  Arabs  have  dis- 
covered and  are  in  pursuit  of  us."  The  gate 
was  thrown  open,  the  merchants  entered  with 
their  beasts  of  burden,  and  were  joyfully  received. 
Meat  and  drink  were  placed  before  them,  and 
after  they  had  refreshed  themselves  they  retired 
to  the  quarters  allotted  to  them. 

These  pretended  merchants  were  Count  Julian 
and  a  number  of  his  partisans.  At  the  hour  of 
midnight  they  stole  forth  silently,  and  assembling 
together,  proceeded  to  what  is  called  the  Gate  of 
Cordova.  Here  setting  suddenly  upon  the  unsus- 
pecting guards,  they  put  them  to  the  edge  of  the 
sword,  and  throwing  open  the  gates,  admitted  a 
great  body  of  the  Arabs.  The  inhabitants  were 
roused  from  their  sleep  by  sound  of  drum  and 
trumpet  and  the  clattering  of  horses.  The  Arabs 
scoured  the  streets  ;  a  horrible  massacre  was  com- 


THE  SUBJUGATION   OF  SPAIN.          157 

menced,  in  which  none  were  spared  but  such  of 
the  females  as  were  young  and  beautiful,  and 
fitted  to  grace  the  harems  of  the  conquerors. 
The  arrival  of  Muza  put  an  end  to  the  pillage 
and  the  slaughter,  and  he  granted  favorable  terms 
to  the  survivors.  Thus  the  valiant  little  city  of 
Carmona,  after  nobly  resisting  the  open  assaults 
of  the  infidels,  fell  a  victim  to  the  treachery  of 
apostate  Christians.1 

I  Cron.  gen.  de  Espana,  por  Alonzo  el  Sato.    P.  8.  c.  1. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

Muza  marches  against  the  City  of  Seville. 

[FTER  the  capture  of  Carmona,Muza  de- 
scended into  a  noble  plain,  covered  with 
fields  of  grain,  with  orchards  and  gardens, 
through  which  glided  the  soft-flowing  Guadalquivir. 
On  the  borders  of  the  river  stood  the  ancient  city  of 
Seville,  surrounded  by  Roman  walls,  and  defended 
by  its  golden  tower.  Understanding  from  his 
spies  that  the  city  had  lost  the  flower  of  its  youth 
in  the  battle  of  the  Guadalete,  Muza  anticipated 
but  a  faint  resistance.  A  considerable  force, 
however,  still  remained  within  the  place,  and 
what  they  wanted  in  numbers  they  made  up  in 
resolution.  For  some  days  they  withstood  the 
assaults  of  the  enemy,  and  defended  their  walls 
with  great  courage.  Their  want  of  warlike 
munitions,  however,  and  the  superior  force  and 
skill  of  the  besieging  army,  left  them  no  hope  of 
being  able  to  hold  out  long.  There  were  two 
youthful  cavaliers  of  uncommon  valor  in  the  city. 
They  assembled  the  warriors  and  addressed  them. 
"  We  cannot  save  the  city,"  said  they ;  "  but  at 
least  we  may  save  ourselves,  and  preserve  so 
many  strong  arms  for  the  service  of  our  country. 
Let  us  cut  our  way  through  the  infidel  force, 


THE  SUBJUGATION   OF  SPAIN.          159 

and  gain  some  secure  fortress,  from  whence  w« 
may  return  with  augmented  numbers  for  the  res- 
cue of  the  city." 

The  advice  of  the  young  cavaliers  was  adopt- 
ed. In  the  dead  of  the  night  the  garrison  as- 
sembled, to  the  number  of  about  three  thousand, 
—  the  most  part  mounted  on  horseback.  Sud- 
denly sallying  from  one  of  the  gates,  they  rushed 
in  a  compact  body  upon  the  camp  of  the  Sara- 
cens, which  was  negligently  guarded,  for  the 
Moslems  expected  no  such  act  of  desperation. 
The  camp  was  a  scene  of  great  carnage  and  con- 
fusion ;  many  were  slain  on  both  sides  ;  the  two 
valiant  leaders  of  the  Christians  fell  covered  with 
wounds,  but  the  main  body  succeeded  in  forcing 
their  way  through  the  centre  of  the  army,  and  in 
making  their  retreat  to  Beja  in  Lusitania. 

Muza  was  at  a  loss  to  know  the  meaning  of 
this  desperate  sally.  In  the  morning  he  perceived 
the  gates  of  the  city  wide  open.  A  number  of 
ancient  and  venerable  men  presented  themselves 
at  his  tent,  offering  submission  and  imploring 
mercy,  for  none  were  left  in  the  place  but  the 
old,  the  infirm,  and  the  miserable.  Muza  listened 
to  them  with  compassion,  and  granted  their 
prayer,  and  the  only  tribute  he  exacted  was 
three  measures  of  wheat  and  three  of  barley 
from  each  house  or  family.  He  placed  a  gar- 
rison of  Arabs  in  the  city,  and  left  there  a  num- 
ber of  Jews  to  form  a  body  of  population.  Having 
thus  secured  two  important  places  in  Andalusia,  he 
passed  the  boundaries  of  the  province,  and  ad- 
vanced with  great  martial  pomp  into  Lusitania. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

Musa  besieges  the  City  of  Merida. 

(HE  army  of  Muza  was  now  augmented 
to  about  eighteen  thousand  horsemen, 
but  he  took  with  him  but  few  foot-sol- 
diers, leaving  them  to  garrison  the  conquered 
towns.  He  met  with  no  resistance  on  his  entrance 
into  Lusitania.  City  after  city  laid  its  keys  at  his 
feet,  and  implored  to  be  received  in  peaceful  vas- 
salage. One  city  alone  prepared  for  vigorous  de- 
fense, the  ancient  Merida,  a  place  of  great  ex- 
tent, uncounted  riches,  and  prodigious  strength. 
A  noble  Goth  named  Sacarus  was  the  governor, 
—  a  man  of  consummate  wisdom,  patriotism,  and 
valor.  Hearing  of  the  approach  of  the  invaders, 
he  gathered  within  the  walls  all  the  people  of  the 
surrounding  country,  with  their  horses  and  mules, 
their  flocks  and  herds,  and  most  precious  effects. 
To  insure  for  a  long  time  a  supply  of  bread,  he 
filled  the  magazines  with  grain,  and  erected  wind- 
mills on  the  churches.  This  done,  he  laid  waste 
the  surrounding  country  to  a  great  extent,  so  that  a 
besieging  army  would  have  to  encamp  in  a 
desert. 

When  Muza  came  in  sight  of  this  magnificent 


THE  SUBJUGATION   OF  SPAIN.          161 

cily,  be  was  struck  with  admiration.  He  re- 
mained for  some  time  gazing  in  silence  upon  its 
mighty  walls  and  lordly  towers,  its  vast  extent, 
and  the  stately  palaces  and  temples  with  which  it 
was  adorned.  "  Surely,"  cried  he,  at  length,  "all 
the  people  of  the  earth  have  combined  their 
power  and  skill  to  embellish  and  aggrandize  this 
city.  Allah  Achbar  !  Happy  will  he  be  who 
shall  have  the  glory  of  making  such  a  con- 
quest ! " 

Seeing  that  a  place  so  populous  and  so  strongly 
fortified  would  be  likely  to  maintain  a  long  and 
formidable  resistance,  he  sent  messengers  to 
Africa  to  his  son  Abdalasis,  to  collect  all  the 
forces  that  could  be  spared  from  the  garrisons  of 
Mauritania,  and  to  hasten  and  reinforce  him. 

While  Muza  was  forming  his  encampment,  de- 
serters from  the  city  brought  him  word  that  a 
chosen  band  intended  to  sally  forth  at  midnight 
and  surprise  his  camp.  The  Arab  commander 
immediately  took  measures  to  receive  them  with 
a  counter  surprise.  Having  formed  his  plan,  and 
communicated  it  to  his  principal  officers,  he  or- 
dered that,  throughout  the  day,  there  should  be 
kept  up  an  appearance  of  negligent  confusion  in 
his  encampment.  The  outposts  were  feebly 
guarded ;  fires  were  lighted  in  various  places, 
as  if  preparing  for  feasting ;  bursts  of  music  and 
shouts  of  revelry  resounded  from  different  quar- 
ters, and  the  whole  camp  seemed  to  be  rioting  in 
careless  security  on  the  plunder  of  the  land.  As 
the  night  advanced,  the  fires  were  gradually  ex- 
11 


162          THE  SUBJUGATION    OF  SPAIN. 

tinguished,  and  silence  ensued,  as  if  the  soldiery 
had  sunk  into  deep  sleep  after  the  carousal. 

In  the  mean  time,  todies  of  troops  had  been 
secretly  and  silently  marched  to  reinforce  the 
outposts;  and  the  renegado  Magued,  with  a 
numerous  force,  had  formed  an  ambuscade  in  a 
deep  stone  quarry  by  which  the  Christians  would 
have  to  pass.  These  preparations  being  made, 
they  awaited  the  approach  of  the  enemy  in 
breathless  silence. 

About  midnight  the  chosen  force  intended  for 
the  sally  assembled,  and  the  command  was  con- 
fided to  Count  Tendero,  a  Gothic  cavalier  of  tried 
prowess.  After  having  heard  a  solemn  mass  and 
received  the  benediction  of  the  priest,  they  marched 
out  of  the  gate  with  all  possible  silence.  They 
were  suffered  to  pass  the  ambuscade  in  the  quarry 
without  molestation ;  as  they  approached  the  Mos- 
lem camp  everything  appeared  quiet,  for  the  foot- 
soldiers  were  concealed  in  slopes  and  hollows,  and 
every  Arab  horseman  lay  in  his  armor  beside  his 
steed.  The  sentinels  on  the  outposts  waited 
until  the  Christians  were  close  at  hand,  and  then 
fled  in  apparent  consternation. 

Count  Tendero  gave  the  signal  for  assault, 
and  the  Christians  rushed  confidently  forward. 
In  an  instant  an  uproar  of  drums,  trumpets,  and 
shrill  war-cries  burst  forth  from  every  side.  AB 
army  seemed  to  spring  up  from  the  earth ;  squad 
rons  of  horse  came  thundering  on  them  in  front 
while  the  quarry  poured  forth  legions  of  armeu 
warriors  in  their  rear. 

The   noise   of  the   terrific   conflict    that    took 


THE  SUBJUGATION  OF  SPAIN.         163 

place  was  heard  on  the  city  walls,  and  answered 
by  shouts  of  exultation,  for  the  Christians  thought 
it  rose  from  the  terror  and  confusion  of  the  Arab 
camp.  In  a  little  while,  however,  they  were  un- 
deceived by  fugitives  from  the  fight,  aghast  with 
terror  and  covered  with  wounds.  "  Hell  itself," 
cried  they,  "  is  on  the  side  of  these  infidels ;  the 
earth  casts  forth  warriors  and  steeds  to  aid  them. 
We  have  fought,  not  with  men,  but  devils  ! " 

The  greater  part  of  the  chosen  troops  who  had 
sallied  were  cut  to  pieces  in  that  scene  of  massacre, 
for  they  had  been  confounded  by  the  tempest  of 
battle  which  suddenly  broke  forth  around  them. 
Count  Tendero  fought  with  desperate  valor,  and 
fell  covered  with  wounds.  His  body  was  found 
the  next  morning,  lying  among  the  slain,  and 
transpierced  with  half  a  score  of  lances.  The 
renegado  Magued  cut  off  his  head  and  tied  it  to 
the  tail  of  his  horse,  and  repaired  with  this  savage 
trophy  to  the  tent  of  Muza ;  but  the  hostility  of 
the  Arab  general  was  of  a  less  malignant  kind. 
He  ordered  that  the  head  and  body  should  be 
placed  together  upon  a  bier,  and  treated  wi'h  be- 
coming reverence. 

In  the  course  of  the  day  a  train  of  priests  and 
friars  came  forth  from  the  city  to  request  permis- 
sion to  seek  for  the  body  of  the  count.  Muza 
delivered  it  to  them,  with  many  soldier-like  enco- 
miums on  the  valor  of  that  good  cavalier.  The 
priests  covered  it  with  a  pall  of  cloth  of  gold,  and 
bore  it  back  in  melancholy  procession  to  the  city 
where  it  was  received  with  loud  lamentations. 

The  siege  was  now  pressed  with  great  vigor 


164          THE  SUBJUGATION   OF  SPAIN. 

and  repeated  assaults  were  made,  but  in  vain. 
Muza  saw,  at  length,  that  the  walls  were  too  high 
to  be  scaled,  and  the  gates  too  strong  to  be  burst 
open  without  the  aid  of  engines,  and  he  desisted 
from  the  attack  until  machines  for  the  purpose 
could  be  constructed.  The  governor  suspected 
from  this  cessation  of  active  warfare  that  the 
enemy  flattered  themselves  to  reduce  the  place  by 
famine ;  he  caused,  therefore,  large  baskets  of 
bread  to  be  thrown  from  the  wall,  and  sent  a 
messenger  to  Muza  to  inform  him  that  if  his 
army  should  be  in  want  of  bread  he  would  sup- 
ply it,  having  sufficient  corn  in  his  granaries  for  a 
ten  years'  siege.1 

The  citizens,  however,  did  not  possess  the  un- 
daunted spirit  of  their  governor.  When  they 
found  that  the  Moslems  were  constructing  tre- 
mendous engines  for  the  destruction  of  their  walls, 
they  lost  all  courage,  and,  surrounding  the  gover- 
nor in  a  clamorous  multitude,  compelled  him  to 
send  forth  persons  to  capitulate. 

The  ambassadors  came  into  the  presence  of 
Muza  with  awe,  for  they  expected  to  find  a  fierce 
and  formidable  warrior  in  one  who  had  filled  the 
land  with  terror ;  but,  to  their  astonishment,  they 
beheld  an  ancient  and  venerable  man,  with  white 
hair,  a  snowy  beard,  and  a  pale,  emaciated  coun- 
tenance. He  had  passed  the  previous  night  with- 
out sleep,  arid  had  been  all  day  in  the  field ;  he 
was  exhausted,  therefore,  by  watchfulness  and 
fatigue,  and  his  garments  were  covered  with  dust, 

"  What  a  devil  of  a  man  is  this/'  murmured 
i  Bleda,  Oomco,  fc.  2,  c.  11. 


THE  SUBJUGATION   6.F  SPAIN.          165 

the  ambassadors,  one  to  another,  "  to  undertake 
such  a  siege  when  on  the  verge  of  the  grave. 
Let  us  defend  our  city  the  best  way  we  can ; 
surely  we  can  hold  out  longer  than  the  life  of 
this  graybeard." 

They  returned  to  the  city,  therefore,  scoffing  at 
an  invader  who  seemed  fitter  to  lean  on  a  crutch 
than  wield  a  lance  ;  and  the  terms  offered  by 
Muza,  which  would  otherwise  have  been  thought 
favorable,  were  scornfully  rejected  by  the  inhabi- 
tants. A  few  days  put  an  end  to  this  mistaken 
confidence.  Abdalasis,  the  son  of  Muza,  arrived 
from  Africa  at  the  head  of  his  reinforcement ;  ho 
brought  seven  thousand  horsemen  and  a  host  of 
Barbary  archers,  and  made  a  glorious  display  as 
he  marched  into  the  camp.  The  arrival  of  this 
youthful  warrior  was  hailed  with  great  acclama- 
tions, so  much  had  he  won  the  hearts  of  the  sol- 
diery by  the  frankness,  the  suavity,  and  gener- 
osity of  his  conduct.  Immediately  after  his 
arrival  a  grand  assault  was  made  upon  the  city, 
and  several  of  the  huge  battering  engines  being 
finished,  they  were  wheeled  up  and  began  to 
thunder  against  the  walls. 

The  unsteady  populace  were  again  seized  with 
terror,  and,  surrounding  their  governor  with  fresh 
clamors,  obliged  him  to  send  forth  ambassadors 
a  second  time  to  treat  of  a  surrender.  When  ad- 
mitted to  the  presence  of  Muza,  the  ambassadors 
could  scarcely  believe  their  eyes,  or  that  this  was 
the  same  withered,  white-headed  old  man  of 
whom  they  had  lately  spoken  with  scoffing.  His 
hair  and  beard  were  tinged  of  a  ruddy  brown ; 


166          THE  SUBJUGATION   OF  SPAIN. 

his  countenance  was  refreshed  by  repose  and 
flushed  with  indignation,  and  he  appeared  a  man 
in  the  matured  vigor  of  .his  days.  The  ambassa- 
dors were  struck  with  awe.  "  Surely,"  whis- 
pered they,  one  to  the  other,  "  this  must  be  either 
a  devil  or  a  magician,  who  can  thus  make  himself 
old  and  young  at  pleasure ! " 

Muza  received  them  haughtily.  "Hence," 
said  he,  "  and  tell  your  people  I  grant  them  the 
same  terms  I  have  already  proffered,  provided  the 
city  be  instantly  surrendered ;  but,  by  the  head 
of  Mahomet,  if  there  be  any  further  delay,  not 
one  mother's  son  of  ye  shall  receive  mercy  at  my 
hands!" 

The  deputies  returned  into  the  city  pale  and 
dismayed.  "  Go  forth !  go  forth  ! "  cried  they, 
"  and  accept  whatever  terms  are  offered ;  of  what 
avail  is  it  to  fight  against  men  who  can  renew 
their  youth  at  pleasure?  Behold,  we  left  the 
leader  of  the  infidels  an  old  and  feeble  man,  and 
to-day  we  find  him  youthful  and  vigorous."  l 

The  place  was,  therefore,  surrendered  forth- 
with, and  Muza  entered  it  in  triumph.  His 
terms  were  merciful.  Those  who  chose  to  re- 
main were  protected  in  persons,  possessions,  and 
religion ;  he  took  the  property  of  those  only  who 
abandoned  the  city  or  had  fallen  in  battle ;  to- 
gether with  all  arms  and  horses,  and  the  treasures 
and  ornaments  of  the  churches.  Among  these 

l  Conrfe,  p.  1,  c.  13.  Ambrosio  de  Morales.  N".  B.  — In 
the  chronicle  of  Spain,  composed  by  order  of  Alonzo  the 
Wise,  this  anecdote  is  given  as  having  happened  at  the  singe 
of  Seville. 


THE  SUBJUGATION   OF  SPAIN.          167 

sacred  spoils  was  found  a  cup  made  of  a  single 
pearl,  which  a  king  of  Spain,  in  ancient  times, 
had  brought  from  the  temple  of  Jerusalem  when 
it  was  destroyed  by  Nabuchodonosor.  This  pre- 
cious relic  was  sent  by  Muza  to  the  caliph,  and 
was  placed  in  the  principal  mosque  of  the  city 
of  Damascus.1 

Muza.  knew  how  to  esteem  merit  even  in  an 
snemy.  When  Sacarus,  the  Governor  of  Merida, 
appeared  before  him,  he  lauded  him  greatly  for 
the  skill  and  courage  he  had  displayed  in  the 
defense  of  his  city ;  and,  taking  off  his  own 
scimetar,  which  was  of  great  value,  girded  it  upon 
him  with  his  own  hands.  "  Wear  this,"  said  he, 
"  as  a  poor  memorial  of  my  admiration ;  a  soldier 
of  such  virtue  and  valor  is  worthy  of  far  higher 
honors." 

He  would  have  engaged  the  governor  in  his 
service,  or  have  persuaded  him  to  remain  in  the 
city,  as  an  illustrious  vassal  of  the  caliph,  but  the 
noble-minded  Sacarus  refused  to  bend  to  the  yoke 
of  the  conquerors  ;  nor  could  he  bring  himself  to 
reside  contentedly  in  his  country,  when  subjected 
to  the  domination  of  the  infidels.  Gathering 
together  all  those  who  chose  to  accompany  him 
into  exile,  he  embarked  to  seek  some  country 
where  he  might  live  in  peace  and  in  the  free 
exercise  of  his  religion.  What  shore  these  ocean 
pilgrims  landed  upon  has  never  been  revealed ; 
but  tradition  vaguely  gives  us  to  believe  that  it 
was  some  unknown  island  far  in  the  bosom  of 
the  Atlantic.2 

1  Marmol.  Descrip.  de,  Africa,  T.  1,  L.  2. 

2  Abulcasim   Perdida  de  Espana,  L.  1,  c.  13. 


CHAPTER  X. 

Expedition  of  Abdalasis  against  Seville  and  the  **  T>and  of 
Tadmir." 

FTER  the  capture  of  Merida,  Muza  gave 
a  grand  banquet  to  his  captains  and  dis- 
tinguished warriors  in  that  magnificent 
city.  At  this  martial  feast  were  many  Arab 
cavaliers  who  had  been  present  in  various  battles, 
and  they  vied  with  each  other  in  recounting  the 
daring  enterprises  in  which  they  had  been  engaged, 
and  the  splendid  triumphs  they  had  witnessed. 
While  they  talked  with  ardor  and  exultation,  Ab- 
dalasis, the  son  of  Muza,  alone  kept  silence,  and 
sat  with  a  dejected  countenance.  At  length,  when 
there  was  a  pause,  he  turned  to  his  father  and 
addressed  him  with  modest  earnestness.  "My 
lord  and  father,"  said  he,  "  I  blush  to  hear  your 
warriors  recount  the  toils  and  dangers  they  have 
passed  while  I  have  done  nothing  to  entitle  me  to 
their  companionship.  When  I  return  to  Egypt 
and  present  myself  before  the  caliph,  he  will  ask 
me  of  my  services  in  Spain  ;  what  battle  I  have 
gained ;  what  town  or  castle  I  have  taken.  How 
shall  I  answer  him?  If  you  love  me,  then,  as 
your  son,  give  me  a  command,  intrust  to  me  an 
enterprise,  and  let  me  acquire  a  name  worthy  to 
be  mentioned  among  men." 


TIiE  SUBJUGATION   OF  SPAIN.         160 

The  eyes  of  Muza  kindled  with  joy  at  finding 
Abdalasis  thus  ambitious  of  renown  in  arms. 
"Allah  be  praised!"  exclaimed  he,  "the  heart 
of  my  son  is  in  the  right  place.  It  is  becoming 
in  youth  to  look  upward  and  be  aspiring.  Thy 
desire,  Abdalasis,  shall  be  gratified." 

An  opportunity  at  that  very  time  presented  it- 
self to  prove  the  prowess  and  discretion  of  the 
youth.  During  the  siege  of  Merida,  the  Chris- 
tian troops  which  had  taken  refuge  at  Beja  had 
reinforced  themselves  from  Pefiaflor,  and  suddenly 
returning,  had  presented  themselves  before  the 
gates  of  the  city  of  Seville.1  Certain  of  the 
Christian  inhabitants  threw  open  the  gates  and 
admitted  them.  The  troops  rushed  to  the  alcazar, 
took  it  by  surprise,  and  put  many  of  the  Moslem 
garrison  to  the  sword ;  the  residue  made  their 
escape,  and  fled  to  the  Arab  camp  before  Merida, 
leaving  Seville  in  the  hands  of  the  Christians. 

The  veteran  Muza,  now  that  the  siege  of  Merida 
was  at  an  end,  was  meditating  the  recapture  and 
punishment  of  Seville  at  the  very  time  when 
Abdalasis  addressed  him.  "  Behold,  my  son," 
exclaimed  he,  "  an  enterprise  worthy  of  thy 
ambition  !  Take  with  thee  all  the  troops  thou 
hast  brought  from  Africa  ;  reduce  the  city  of 
Seville  again  to  subjection,  and  plant  thy  standard 
upon  its  alcazar.  But  stop  not  there :  carry  thy 
conquering  sword  into  the  southern  parts  of 
Spain ;  thou  wilt  find  there  a  harvest  of  glory  yet 
to  be  reaped." 

Abdalasis  lost  no  time  in  departing  upon  this 
1  E?pinosa,  Antq.  y  Grand,  de  Sevillt,  L.  2,  c.  3. 


170  THE  SUBJUGATION   OF  SPAIN. 

enterprise.  He  took  with  him  Count  Julian, 
Magued  el  Rumi,  and  the  Bishop  Oppas,  that  he 
might  benefit  by  their  knowledge  of  the  country 
When  he  came  in  sight  of  the  fair  city  of  Seville, 
seated  like  a  queen  in  the  midst  of  its  golden 
plain,  with  the  Guadalquivir  flowing  beneath  its 
walls,  he  gazed  upon  it  with  the  admiration  of  a 
lover,  and  lamented  in  his  soul  that  he  had  to 
visit  it  as  an  avenger.  His  troops,  however,  re- 
garded it  with  wrathful  eyes,  thinking  only  of  its 
rebellion  and  of  the  massacre  of  their  country- 
men in  the  alcazar. 

The  principal  people  of  the  city  had  taken  no 
part  in  this  gallant  but  fruitless  insurrection  ;  and 
now,  when  they  beheld  the  army  of  Abdalasis 
encamped  upon  the  banks  of  the  Guadalquivir, 
would  fain  have  gone  forth  to  make  explanations, 
and  intercede  for  mercy.  The  populace,  however, 
forbade  any  one  to  leave  the  city,  and,  barring  the 
gates,  prepared  to  defend  themselves  to  the  last. 
The  place  was  attacked  with  resistless  fury. 
The  gates  were  soon  burst  open ;  the  Moslems 
rushed  in,  panting  for  revenge.  They  confined 
not  their  slaughter  to  the  soldiery  in  the  alcazar, 
but  roamed  through  every  street,  confounding  the 
innocent  with  the  guilty  in  one  bloody  massacre, 
and  it  was  with  the  utmost  difficulty  that  Abdalasis 
could  at  length  succeed  in  staying  their  sanguinary 
career.1 

The  son  of  Muza  proved  himself  as  mild  iu 
conquest    as    he    had    been    intrepid    in    assault. 
The    moderation    and   benignity  of  his    conduct 
1  Conde,  P.  1,  c.  14. 


THE  SUBJUGATION   OF  SPAIN.          171 

soothed  the  terrors  of  the  vanquished,  and  his 
wise  precautions  restored  tranquillity.  Having 
made  proper  regulations  for  the  protection  of  the 
inhabitants,  he  left  a  strong  garrison  in  the  place 
to  prevent  any  future  insurrection,  and  then  de- 
parted on  the  further  prosecution  of  his  enterprise* 

Wherever  he  went  his  arms  were  victorious  ; 
and  his  victories  were  always  characterized  by 
the  same  magnanimity.  At  length  he  arrived  on 
the  confines  o£  that  beautiful  region,  comprising 
lofty  and  precipitous  mountains  and  rich  and 
delicious  plains,  afterwards  known  by  the  name  of 
the  kingdom  of  Murcia.  All  this  part  of  the 
country  was  defended  by  the  veteran  Theodomir, 
who,  by  skillful  management,  had  saved  a  remnant 
of  his  forces  after  the  defeat  on  the  banks  of  the 
Guadalete. 

Theodomir  was  a  stanch  warrior,  but  a  wary 
and  prudent  man.  He  had  experienced  the  folly 
of  opposing  the  Arabs  in  open  field,  where  their 
cavalry  and  armor  gave  them  such  superiority  ; 
on  their  approach,  therefore,  he  assembled  all  his 
people  capable  of  bearing  arms,  and  took  posses- 
sion of  the  cliffs  and  mountain  passes.  "  Here," 
said  he,  "a  simple  goat-herd,  who  can  hurl  down 
rocks  and  stones,  is  as  good  as  a  warrior  armed 
in  proof."  In  this  way  he  checked  and  harassed 
the  Moslem  arrny  in  all  its  movements,  —  shower- 
ing down  missiles  upon  it  from  overhanging  pre- 
cipices, and  waylaying  it  in  narrow  and  rugged 
defiles,  where  a  few  raw  troops  could  make  stand 
against  a  host. 

Theodomir  was  in  a  fair  way  to  baffle  his  foes, 


172    THE  SUBJUGATION  OF  SPAIN. 

and  oblige  them  to  withdraw  from  his  territories 
unfortunately,  however,  the  wary  veteran  had  two 
sons  with  him,  young  men  of  hot  and  heady 
valor,  who  considered  all  this  prudence  of  their 
father  as  savoring  of  cowardice,  and  who  were 
anxious  to  try  their  prowess  in  the  open  field. 
"  What  glory,"  said  they,  "  is  to  be  gained  by 
destroying  an  enemy  in  this  way,  from  the  covert 
of  rocks  and  thickets  ?  " 

"  You  talk  like  young  men/'  replied  the  veter- 
an. "  Glory  is  a  prize  one  may  fight  for  abroad, 
but  safety  is  the  object  when  the  enemy  is  at  the 
door." 

One  day,  however,  the  young  men  succeeded 
in  drawing  down  their  father  into  the  plain. 
Abdalasis  immediately  seized  on  the  opportunity, 
and  threw  himself  between  the  Goths  and  their 
mountain  fastnesses.  Theodomir  saw  too  late  the 
danger  into  which  he  was  betrayed.  "  What  can 
our  raw  troops  do,"  said  he,  "  against  those  squad- 
rons of  horse  that  move  like  castles  ?  Let  us 
make  a  rapid  retreat  to  Orihuela,  and  defend  our- 
selves from  behind  its  walls." 

"  Father,"  said  the  eldest  son,  "  it  is  too  late  to 
retreat ;  remain  here  with  the  reserve  while  my 
brother  and  I  advance.  Fear  nothing ;  am  not  I 
your  son,  and  would  I  not  die  to  defend  you?" 

"  In  truth,"  replied  the  veteran,  "  I  have  my 
doubts  whether  you  are  my  son.  But  if  I  re- 
main here,  and  you  should  all  be  killed,  where 
then  would  be  my  protection  ?  Come,"  added 
he,  turning  to  the  second  son,  "  I  trust  that  thou 
art  virtually  my  son,  let  us  hasten  to  retreat 
before  it  is  too  late." 


THE  SUBJUGATION    OF  SPAIN.          173 

"Father,"  replied  the  youngest,  "I  have  not  a 
doubt  that  I  am  honestly  and  thoroughly  your 
son,  and  as  such  I  honor  you ;  but  I  owe  duty 
likewise  to  my  mother,  and  when  I  sallied  to  the 
war  she  gave  me  her  blessing  as  long  as  I  should 
act  with  valor,  but  her  curse  should  I  prove 
craven  and  fly  the  field.  Fear  nothing,  father  ;  I 
will  defend  you  while  living,  and  even  after  you 
are  dead.  You  shall  never  fail  of  an  honorable 
sepulture  among  your  kindred.'* 

"  A  pestilence  on  yc  both,"  cried  Theodomir, 
'  "  for  a  brace  of  misbegotten  madmen  !  What  care 
I,  think  ye,  where  ye  lay  my  body  when  I  am 
<3ead  ?  One  day's  existence  in  a  hovel  is  worth 
an  age  of  interment  in  a  marble  sepulchre. 
Come,  my  friends,"  said  he,  turning  to  his  prin- 
cipal cavaliers,  "  let  us  leave  these  hot-headed 
striplings  and  make  our  retreat ;  if  we  tarry  any 
longer  the  enemy  will  be  upon  us." 

Upon  this,  the  cavaliers  and  proud  hidalgoes 
drew  up  scornfully  and  tossed  their  heads :  "  "What 
do  you  see  in  us,"  said  they,  "  that  you  think  we 
will  show  our  backs  to  the  enemy  ?  Forward ! 
was  ever  the  good  old  Gothic  watchword,  and 
with  that  will  we  live  and  die  ! " 

While  time  was  lost  in  these  disputes,  the 
Moslem  army  kept  advancing  until  retreat  was  no 
longer  practicable.  The  battle  was  tumultuous 
and  bloody.  Theodomir  fought  like  a  lion,  but  it 
was  all  in  vain  ;  he  saw  his  two  sons  cut  down, 
»,nd  the  greater  part  of  their  rash  companions, 
while  hif  raw  mountain  troops  fled  in  all  direc- 
tions. 


174  THE  SUBJUGATION   OF  SPAIN. 

Seeing  there  was  no  longer  any  hope,  he 
eeized  the  bridle  of  a  favorite  page  who  was  near 
him,  and  who  was  about  spurring  for  the  moun- 
tains. "  Part  not  from  me,"  said  he,  "  but  do 
thou,  at  least,  attend  to  my  counsel,  my  son ;  and 
of  a  truth  I  believe  thou  art  my  son,  for  thou  art 
the  offspring  of  one  of  my  handmaids  who  was 
kind  unto  me."  And  indeed  the  youth  marvel- 
ously  resembled  him.  Turning  then  the  reins 
of  his  own  steed,  and  giving  him  the  spur,  he  fled 
amain  from  the  field,  followed  by  the  page  ;  nor 
did  he  stop  until  he  arrived  within  the  walls  of 
Orihtiela. 

Ordering  the  gates  to  be  barred  and  bolted,  he 
prepared  to  receive  the  enemy.  There  were  but 
few  men  in  the  city  capable  of  bearing  arms, 
most  of  the  youth  having  fallen  in  the  field.  He 
caused  the  women,  therefore,  to  clothe  themselves 
in  male  attire,  to  put  on  hats  and  helmets,  to  take 
long  reeds  in  their  hands  instead  of  lances,  and  to 
cross  their  hair  upon  their  chins  in  semblance  of 
beards.  With  these  troops  he  lined  the  walls  and 
towers. 

It  was  about  the  hour  of  twilight  that  Abda- 
lasis  approached  with  his  army,  but  he  paused 
when  he  saw  the  walls  so  numerously  garrisoned. 
Then  Theodomir  took  a  flag  of  truce  in  his  hand, 
and  put  a  herald's  tabard  on  the  page,  and  they 
two  sallied  forth  to  capitulate,  and  were  gracious* 
ly  received  by  Abdalasis. 

"  I  come,"  said  Theodomir, "  on  the  behalf  of  the 
commander  of  this  city,  to  treat  for  terms  worthy 
of  your  magnanimity  and  of  his  dignity.  You 


THE  SUBJUGATION   OF  SPAIN.         175 

perceive  that  the  city  is  capable  of  withstanding 
a  long  siege,  but  he  is  desirous  of  sparing  the 
lives  of  his  soldiers.  Promise  that  the  inhabit- 
ants shall  be  at  liberty  to  depart  unmolested 
with  their  property,  and  the  city  will  be  delivered 
up  to  you  to-morrow  morning  without  a  blow  ; 
otherwise  we  are  prepared  to  fight  until  not  a 
man  be  left." 

Abdalasis  was  well  pleased  to  get  so  powerful 
a  place  upon  such  easy  terms,  but  stipulated  that 
the  garrison  should  lay  down  their  arms.  To 
this  Theodomir  readily  assented,  with  the  excep- 
tion, however,  of  the  governor  and  his  retinue, 
which  was  granted  out  of  consideration  for  his 
dignity.  The  articles  of  capitulation  were  then 
drawn  out,  and  when  Abdalasis  had  affixed  his 
name  and  seal,  Theodomir  took  the  pen  and 
wrote  his  signature.  "  Behold  in  me,"  said  he, 
"  the  governor  of  the  city ! " 

Abdalasis  was  pleased  with  the  hardihood  of 
the  commander  of  the  place  in  thus  venturing 
personally  into  his  power,  and  entertained  the 
veteran  with  still  greater  honor.  When  Theodo- 
mir returned  to  the  city,  he  made  known  the 
capitulation,  and  charged  the  inhabitants  to  pack 
up  their  effects  during  the  night  and  be  ready  to 
sally  forth  during  the  morning. 

At  the  dawn  of  day  the  gates  were  thrown 
open,  and  Abdalasis  looked  to  see  a  great  force 
issuing  forth,  but  to  his  surprise  beheld  merely 
Theodomir  and  his  page  in  battered  armor,  fol- 
lowed by  a  multitude  of  old  men,  women,  and 
children. 


176          THE  SUBJUGATION   OF  SPAIN. 

Abdalasis  waited  until  the  whole  had  corne 
forth, '  then  turning  to  Theodorair,  "  Where," 
cried  he,  "  are  the  soldiers  whom  I  saw  last 
evening  lining  the  walls  and  towers  ?  " 

"  Soldiers  have  I  none,"  replied  the  veteran. 
"  As  to  my  garrison,  behold  it  before  you.  With 
these  women  did  I  man  my  walls,  and  this  my 
page  is  my  herald,  guard,  and  retinue." 

Upon  this  the  Bishop  Oppas  and  Count  Julian 
exclaimed  that  the  capitulation  was  a  base  fraud 
and  ought  not  to  be  complied  with ;  but  Abda- 
lasis relished  the  stratagem  of  the  old  soldier, 
and  ordered  that  the  stipulations  of  the  treaty 
should  be  faithfully  performed.  Nay,  so  high  an 
opinion  did  he  conceive  of  the  subtle  wisdom  of 
this  commander  that  he  permitted  him  to  remain 
in  authority  over  the  surrounding  country  on  his 
acknowledging  allegiance  and  engaging  to  pay 
tribute  to  the  caliph ;  and  all  that  part  of  Spain, 
comprising  the  beautiful  provinces  of  Murcia  and 
Valencia,  was  long  after  known  by  the  Arabic 
name  of  its  defender,  and  is  still  recorded  in  Ara- 
bian chronicles  as  "  The  land  of  Tadmir." 1 

Having  succeeded  in  subduing  this  rich  and 
fruitful  region,  and  having  gained  great  renown 
for  his  generosity  as  well  as  valor,  Abdalasis  re- 
turned with  the  chief  part  of  his  army  to  the  city 
rf  Seville. 

1  Conde,  p.  1.  Cronica  del  Moro  Jiasis.  Cron.  gen.  Espana, 
por  Alor.zo  el  Sabio,  p.  3,  c.  1. 


CHAPTER   XL 

Muza  arrives    at    Toledo.  —  Interview   between    him     and 
Taric. 

I  HEN  Muza  ben  Nosier  had  sent  his 
son  Abdalasis  to  subdue  Seville,  he  de- 
parted for  Toledo  to  call  Taric  to  ac- 
count for  his  disobedience  to  his  orders ;  for, 
amidst  all  his  own  successes,  the  prosperous  ca- 
reer of  that  commander  preyed  upon  his  mind. 
What  can  content  the  jealous  and  ambitious 
heart  ?  As  Muza  passed  through  the  land,  towns 
and  cities  submitted  to  him  without  resistance ; 
he  was  lost  in  wonder  at  the  riches  of  the  coun- 
try and  the  noble  monuments  of  art  with  which  it 
was  adorned ;  when  he  beheld  the  bridges,  con- 
structed in  ancient  times  by  the  Romans,  they 
seemed  to  him  the  work,  not  of  men,  but  of  genii. 
Yet  all  these  admirable  objects  only  made  him  re- 
pine the  more  that  he  had  not  had  the  exclusive 
glory  of  invading  and  subduing  the  land ;  and 
exasperated  him  the  more  against  Taric,  for  hav- 
ing apparently  endeavored  to  monopolize  the 
conquest. 

Taric  heard  of  his  approach,  and  came  forth  to 

meet  him  at  Talavera,  accompanied  by  many  of 

the  most  distinguished  companions  of  his  victories, 

and  with  a  train  of  horses  and  mules  laden  with 

12 


178          THE  SUBJUGATION    OF  SPAIN. 

spoils,  with  which  he  trusted  to  propitiate  the 
favor  of  his  commander.  Their  meeting  took 
place  on  the  banks  of  the  rapid  river  Tietar, 
which  rises  in  the  mountains  of  Placencia  and 
throws  itself  into  the  Tagus.  Muza,  in  former 
days,  while  Taric  had  acted  as  his  subordinate 
and  indefatigable  officer,  had  cherished  and  con- 
sidered him  as  a  second  self;  but  now  that  he  had 
started  up  to  be  a  rival,  he  could  not  conceal  his 
jealousy.  When  the  veteran  came  into  his  pres- 
ence, he  regarded  him  for  a  moment  with  a  stern 
and  indignant  aspect.  "  Why  hast  thou  disobeyed 
my  orders  ?  "  said  he.  "  I  commanded  thee  to 
await  my  arrival  with  reinforcements,  but  thou 
hast  rashly  overrun  the  country,  endangering  the 
loss  of  our  armies  and  the  ruin  of  our  cause." 

"  I  have  acted,"  replied  Taric,  "  in  such  man- 
ner as  I  thought  would  best  serve  the  cause  of 
Islam,  and  in  so  doing  I  thought  to  fulfill  the 
wishes  of  Muza.  Whatever  I  have  done  has 
been  as  your  servant ;  behold  your  share  as 
commander-in-chief  of  spoils  which  I  have  col- 
lected." So  saying  he  produced  an  immense 
treasure  in  silver  and  gold,  and  costly  stuffs  and 
precious  stones,  and  spread  it  before  Muza. 

The  anger  of  the  Arab  commander  was  still 
more  kindled  at  the  sight  of  this  booty,  for  it 
proved  how  splendid  had  been  the  victories  of 
Taric ;  but  he  restrained  his  wrath  for  the  pres- 
ent, and  they  proceeded  together  in  moody  silence 
to  Toledo.  When  he  entered  this  royal  city, 
however,  and  ascended  to  the  ancient  palace  of 
the  Gothic  kings,  and  reflected  that  all  this  had 


THE  SUBJUGATION   OF  SPAIN.          179 

been  a  scene  of  triumph  to  his  rival,  he  could  no 
longer  repress  his  indignation.  He  demanded  of 
Taric  a  strict  account  of  all  the  riches  he  had 
gathered  in  Spain,  even  of  the  presents  he  had 
reserved  for  the  caliph,  and,  above  all,  he  made 
him  yield  up  his  favorite  trophy,  the  talismanic 
table  of  Solomon.  When  all  this  was  done,  he 
again  upbraided  him  bitterly  with  his  disobedi- 
ence of  orders,  and  with  the  rashness  of  his  con- 
duct. "  What  blind  confidence  in  fortune  hast 
thou  shown,"  said  he,  "  in  overrunning  such  a 
country  and  assailing  such  powerful  cities  with 
thy  scanty  force !  What  madness  to  venture 
everything  upon  a  desperate  chance,  when  thou 
knewest  I  was  coming  with  a  force  to  make  the 
victory  secure.  All  thy  success  has  been  owing 
to  mere  luck,  not  to  judgment  nor  generalship." 

He  then  bestowed  high  praises  upon  the  other 
chieftains  for  their  services  in  the  cause  of  Islam, 
but  they  answered  not  a  word,  and  their  counte- 
nances were  gloomy  and  discontented;  for  they 
felt  the  injustice  done  to  their  favorite  leader. 
As  to  Taric,  though  his  eye  burned  like  fire,  he 
kept  his  passion  within  bounds.  "  I  have  done 
the  best  I  could  to  serve  God  and  the  caliph,'* 
oaid  he  emphatically ;  "  my  conscience  acquits 
me,  and  I  trust  my  sovereign  will  do  the  same." 

"  Perhaps  he  may,"  replied  Muza,  bitterly ; 
"  but,  in  the  mean  time,  I  cannot  confide  his  in- 
terests to  a  desperado  who  is  heedless  of  orders 
and  throws  everything  at  hazard.  Such  a  gen- 
eral is  unworthy  to  be  intrusted  with  the  fate  of 
armies." 


ISO          THE  SUBJUGATION   OF  SPAIN. 

So  saying,  he  divested  Taric  of  his  command, 
and  gave  it  to  Magued  the  renegado.  The  gaunt 
Taric  still  maintained  an  air  of  stern  composure. 
His  only  words  were,  *'  The  caliph  will  do  me 
justice  ! "  Muza  was  so  transported  with  passion 
at  this  laconic  defiance  that  he  ordered  him  to 
be  thrown  into  prison,  and  even  threatened  his 
life. 

Upon  this,  Magued  el  Rumi,  though  he  had 
risen  by  the  disgrace  of  Taric,  had  the  generosity 
to  speak  out  warmly  in  his  favor.  "  Consider," 
said  he,  to  Muza,  ",what  may  be  the  consequen- 
ces of  this  severity.  Taric  has  many  friends  in 
the  army ;  his  actions,  too,  have  been  signal  and 
illustrious,  and  entitle  him  to  the  highest  honors 
and  rewards,  instead  of  disgrace  and  imprison- 
ment." 

The  anger  of  Muza,  however,  was  not  to  be 
appeased  ;  and  he  trusted  to  justify  his  measures 
by  dispatching  missives  to  the  caliph,  complain- 
ing of  the  insubordination  of  Taric,  and  his  rash 
and  headlong  conduct.  The  result  proved  the 
wisdom  of  the  caution  given  by  Magued.  In  the 
course  of  a  little  while  Muza  received  a  humili- 
ating letter  from  the  caliph,  ordering  him  to  re- 
store Taric  to  the  command  of  the  soldiers 
"  whom  he  had  so  gloriously  conducted ; "  and 
not  to  render  useless  "  one  of  the  best  swords  in 
Islam ! "  i 

It  is  thus  the  envious  man  brings  humiliation 
and  reproach  upon  himself,  in  endeavoring  to  de- 
grade a  meritorious  rival.  When  the  tidings 
1  Conde,  pt.  1.  <».  15. 


THE  SUBJUGATION  OF  SPAIN.          181 

came  of  the  justice  rendered  by  the  caliph  to  the 
merits  of  the  veteran,  there  was  general  joy 
throughout  the  army,  and  Muza  read  in  the 
smiling  countenances  of  every  one  around  him  a 
severe  censure  upon  his  conduct.  He  concealed, 
however,  his  deep  humiliation,  and  affected  to 
obey  the  orders  of  his  sovereign  with  great 
alacrity ;  he  released  Taric  from  prison,  feasted 
him  at  his  own  table,  and  then  publicly  replaced 
him  at  the  head  of  his  troops.  The  army  re- 
ceived its  favorite  veteran  with  shouts  of  joy,  and 
celebrated  with  rejoicings  the  reconciliation  of 
the  commanders ;  but  the  shouts  of  the  soldiery 
were  abhorrent  to  the  ears  of  Muza. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

Muza  prosecutes  the  Scheme  of  Conquest.  —  Siege  of  Sara- 
gossa.  —  Complete  Subjugation  of  Spain. 

| HE  dissensions,  which  for  a  time  had 
distracted  the  conquering  army,  being 
appeased,  and  the  Arabian  generals 
being  apparently  once  more  reconciled,  Muza,  as 
commander-in-chief,  proceeded  to  complete  the 
enterprise  by  subjugating  the  northern  parts  of 
Spain.  The  same  expeditious  mode  of  conquest 
that  had  been  sagaciously  adopted  by  Taric  was 
still  pursued.  The  troops  were  lightly  armed, 
and  freed  from  every  superfluous  incumbrance. 
Each  horseman,  beside  his  arms,  carried  a  small 
sack  of  provisions,  a  copper  vessel  in  which  to 
cook  them,  and  a  skin  which  served  him  for  sur- 
coat  and  for  bed.  The  infantry  carried  nothing 
but  their  arms.  To  each  regiment  or  squadron 
was  allowed  a  limited  number  of  sumpter-mules 
and  attendants,  barely  enough  to  carry  their 
necessary  baggage  and  supplies;  nothing  was 
permitted  that  could  needlessly  diminish  the 
number  of  fighting  men,  delay  their  rapid  move- 
ments, or  consume  their  provisions.  Strict  or- 
ders were  again  issued,  prohibiting,  on  pain  of 
death,  all  plunder  excepting  the  camp  of  an 
enemy  or  cities  given  up  to  pillage.1 
1  Conde,  pt.  1,  c.  15 


THE  SUBJUGATION   OF  SPAIN.         183 

The  armies  now  took  their  several  lines  of 
march.  That  under  Taric  departed  towards  the 
northeast ;  beating  up  the  country  towards  the 
source  of  the  Tagus,  traversing  the  chain  of 
Iberian  or  Arragonian  Mountains,  and  pouring 
down  into  the  plains  and  valleys  watered  by  the 
Ebro.  It  was  wonderful  to  see,  in  so  brief  a 
space  of  time,  such  a  vast  and  difficult  country 
penetrated  and  subdued,  and  the  invading  army, 
like  an  inundating  flood,  pouring  its  streams  into 
the  most  remote  recesses. 

While  Taric  was  thus  sweeping  the  country 
to  the  northeast,  Muza  departed  in  an  opposite 
direction ;  yet  purposing  to  meet  him,  and  to 
join  their  forces  in  the  north.  Bending  his 
course  westwardly,  he  made  a  circuit  behind  the 
mountains,  and  then,  advancing  into  the  open 
country,  displayed  his  banners  before  Salamanca, 
which  surrendered  without  resistance.  From 
hence  he  continued  on  towards  Astorga,  receiving 
the  terrified  submission  of  the  land ;  then  turning 
up  the  Valley  of  the  Douro,  he  ascended  the 
course  of  that  famous  river  towards  the  east ; 
crossed  the  Sierra  de  Moncayo,  and,  arriving  on 
the  banks  of  the  Ebro,  marched  down  along  its 
stream,  until  he  approached  the  strong  city  of 
Saragossa,  the  citadel  of  all  that  part  of  Spain. 
In  this  place  had  taken  refuge  many  of  the  most 
valiant  of  the  Gothic  warriors  —  the  remnants  of 
armies,  and  fugitives  from  conquered  cities.  It 
was  one  of  the  last  rallying-points  of  the  land. 
When  Muza  arrived,  Taric  had  already  been  for 
some  time  before  the  place,  laying  close  siege', 


184          THE  SUBJUGATION   OF  SPALV. 

the  inhabitants  were  pressed  by  famine,  and  had 
suffered  great  losses  in  repeated  combats ;  but 
there  was  a  spirit  and  obstinacy  in  their  resist- 
ance surpassing  anything  that  had  yet  been  wit- 
nessed by  the  invaders. 

Muza  now  took  command  of  the  siege,  and 
ordered  a  general  assault  upon  the  walls.  The 
Moslems  planted  their  scaling  -  ladders,  and 
mounted  with  their  accustomed  intrepidity,  but 
were  vigorously  resisted ;  nor  could  all  their 
efforts  obtain  them  a  footing  upon  the  battle- 
ments. While  they  were  thus  assailing  the 
walls,  Count  Julian  ordered  a  heap  of  combusti- 
bles to  be  placed  against  one  of  the  gates,  and 
set  on  fire.  The  inhabitants  attempted  in  vain, 
from  the  barbican,  to  extinguish  the  flames. 
They  burned  so  fiercely  that  in  a  little  while 
the  gate  fell  from  the  hinges.  Count  Julian  gal- 
loped into  the  city,  mounted  upon  a  powerful 
charger,  himself  and  his  steed  all  covered  with 
mail.  He  was  followed  by  three  hundred  of  his 
partisans,  and  supported  by  Magued  the  rene- 
gado,  with  a  troop  of  horse. 

The  inhabitants  disputed  every  street  and  pub- 
lic square;  they  made  barriers  of  dead  bodies, 
fighting  behind  these  ramparts  of  their  slaugh- 
tered countrymen.  Every  window  and  roof  was 
filled  with  combatants ;  the  very  women  and 
children  joined  in  the  desperate  fight,  throwing 
down  stones  and  missiles  of  all  kinds,  and  scald- 
ing water  upon  the  enemy. 

The  battle  raged  until  the  hour  of  vespers, 
when  the  principal  inhabitants  held  a  parley,  and 


THE  SUBJUGATION   OF  SPAIN.          185 

capitulated  for  a  surrender.  Muza  had  been  in- 
censed at  their  obstinate  resistance,  which  had 
cost  the  lives  of  so  many  of  his  soldiers ;  he 
knew,  also,  that  in  the  city  were  collected  the 
riches  of  many  of  the  towns  of  eastern  Spain. 
He  demanded,  therefore,  beside  the  usual  terms, 
a  heavy  sum  to  be  paid  down  by  the  citizens, 
called  the  contribution  of  blood ;  as  by  this  they 
redeemed  themselves  from  the  edge  of  the 
sword.  The  people  were  obliged  to  comply. 
They  collected  all  the  jewels  of  their  richest 
families,  and  all  the  ornaments  of  their  temples, 
and  laid  them  at  the  feet  of  Muza ;  and  placed 
in  his  power  many  of  their  noblest  youths  as 
hostages.  A  strong  garrison  was  then  appointed, 
and  thus  the  fierce  city  of  Saragossa  was  subdued 
to  the  yoke  of  the  conqueror. 

The  Arab  generals  pursued  their  conquests 
even  to  the  foot  of  the  Pyrenees  ;  Taric  then  de- 
scended along  the  course  of  the  Ebro,  and  con- 
tinued along  the  Mediterranean  coast ;  subduing 
the  famous  city  of  Valencia,  with  its  rich  and 
beautiful  domains,  and  carrying  the  success  of 
his  arms  even  to  Denia. 

Muza  undertook  with  his  host  a  wider  range 
of  conquest.  He  overcame  the  cities  of  Barcelona, 
Gerona,  and  others  that  lay  on  the  skirts  of  the 
eastern  mountains ;  then  crossing  into  the  land  of 
the  Franks,  he  captured  the  city  of  Narbonne  — 
in  a  temple  of  which  he  found  seven  equestrian 
images  of  silver,  which  he  brought  off  as  trophies 
of  his  victory.1  Returning  into  Spain,  he  scoured 
1  Conde,  pt.  1,  c.  16. 


186          THE  SUBJUGATION   OF  SPAIN. 

its  northern  regions  along  Gallicia  and  the  As- 
turias ;  passed  triumphantly  through  Lusitania, 
and  arrived  once  more  in  Andalusia,  covered 
with  laurels  and  enriched  with  immense  spoils. 
Thus  was  completed  the  subjugation  of  unhappy 
Spain.  All  its  cities,  and  fortresses,  and  strong- 
holds, were  in  the  hands  of  the  Saracens,  except- 
ing some  of  the  wild  mountain  tracts  that  bordered 
the  Atlantic  and  extended  towards  the  north. 
Here,  then,  the  story  of  the  conquest  might  con- 
clude, but  that  the  indefatigable  chronicler,  Fray 
Antonio  Agapida,  goes  on  to  record  the  fate  of 
those  persons  who  were  most  renowned  in  the 
enterprise.  We  shall  follow  his  steps,  and  avail 
ourselves  of  his  information,  laboriously  collected 
from  various  sources ;  and,  truly,  the  story  of 
each  of  the  actors  in  this  great  historical  drama 
bears  with  it  its  striking  moral,  and  is  full  of  ad- 
monition and  instruction. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

Feud  between  the  Arab  Generals.  —  They  are  summoned  tc 
appear  before  the  Caliph  at  Damascus.  —  Reception  of 
Taric. 

iHE  heart  of  Muza  ben  Nosier  was  now 
lifted  up,  for  he  considered  his  glory 
complete.  He  held  a  sway  that  might 
have  gratified  the  ambition  of  the  proudest  sov- 
ereign, for  all  western  Africa  and  the  newly  ac- 
quired peninsula  of  Spain  were  obedient  to  his 
rule ;  and  he  was  renowned  throughout  all  the 
lands  of  Islam  as  the  great  conqueror  of  the 
West.  But  sudden  humiliation  awaited  him  in 
the  very  moment  of  his  highest  triumph. 

Notwithstanding  the  outward  reconciliation  of 
Muza  and  Taric,  a  deep  and  implacable  hostility 
continued  to  exist  between  them ;  and  each  had 
busy  partisans  who  distracted  the  armies  by  their 
feuds.  Letters  were  incessantly  dispatched  to 
Damascus  by  either  party,  exalting  the  merits  of 
their  own  leader  and  decrying  his  rival.  Taric 
was  represented  as  rash,  arbitrary,  and  prodigal, 
ind  as  injuring  the  discipline  of  the  army,  by 
sometimes  treating  it  with  extreme  rigor  and  at 
other  times  giving  way  to  licentiousness  and  pro- 
fusion. Muza  was  lauded  as  prudent,  sagacious, 
dignified,  and  systematic  in  his  dealings.  The 
friends  of  Taric,  on  the  other  hand,  represented 


188          THE  SUBJUGATION  OF  SPAIN. 

him  as  brave,  generous,  and  high-minded  ;  scru- 
pulous in  reserving  to  his  sovereign  his  rightful 
share  of  the  spoils,  but  distributing  the  rest 
bounteously  among  his  soldiers,  and  thus  increas- 
ing their  alacrity  in  the  service.  "  Muza,  on  the 
contrary,"  said  they,  "  is  grasping  and  insatiable  ; 
he  levies  intolerable  contributions  and  collects  im- 
mense treasure,  but  sweeps  it  all  into  his  own 
coffers." 

The  caliph  was  at  length  wearied  out  by  these 
complaints,  and  feared  that  the  safety  of  the  cause 
might  be  endangered  by  the  dissensions  of  the 
rival  generals.  He  sent  letters,  therefore,  order- 
ing them  to  leave  suitable  persons  in  charge  of 
their  several  commands,  and  appear,  forthwith, 
before  him  at  Damascus. 

Such  was  the  greeting  from  his  sovereign  that 
awaited  Muza  on  his  return  from  the  conquest  of 
northern  Spain.  It  was  a  grievous  blow  to  a 
man  of  his  pride  and  ambition  ;  but  he  prepared 
instantly  to  obey.  He  returned  to  Cordova,  col- 
lecting by  the  way  all  the  treasures  he  had  de- 
posited in  various  places.  At  that  city  he  called 
a  meeting  of  his  principal  officers,  and  of  the 
leaders  of  the  faction  of  apostate  Christians,  and 
made  them  all  do  homage  to  his  son  Abdalasis, 
as  emir  or  governor  of  Spain.  He  gave  this 
favorite  son  much  sage  advice  for  the  regulation 
of  his  conduct,  and  left  with  him  his  nephew, 
Ayub,  a  man  greatly  honored  by  the  Moslems  for 
his  wisdom  and  discretion  ;  exhorting  Abdalasis 
to  consult  him  on  all  occasions,  and  consider  him 
as  his  bosom  counselor.  He  made  a  parting  ad- 


THE  SUBJUGATION   OF  SPAIN.          189 

dress  to  his  adherents,  full  of  cheerful  confidence  ; 
assuring  them  that  he  would  soon  return,  loaded 
with  new  favors  and  honors  by  his  sovereign,  and 
enabled  to  reward  them  all  for  their  faithful 
3ervices. 

When  Muza  sallied  forth  from  Cordova,  to  re- 
pair to  Damascus,  his  cavalagada  appeared  like 
the  sumptuous  pageant  of  some  oriental  poten- 
tate ;  for  he  had  numerous  guards  and  attendants 
splendidly  armed  and  arrayed,  together  with  four 
hundred  hostages,  who  were  youthful  cavaliers 
of  the  noblest  families  of  the  Goths,  and  a  great 
number  of  captives  of  both  sexes,  chosen  for  their 
beauty,  and  intended  as  presents  for  the  caliph* 
Then  there  was  a  vast  train  of  beasts  of  burden, 
laden  with  the  plunder  of  Spain ;  for  he  took  with 
him  all  the  wealth  he  had  collected  in  his  con- 
quests, and  all  the  share  that  had  been  set  apart 
for  his  sovereign.  With  this  display  of  trophies 
and  spoils,  showing  the  magnificence  of  the  land 
he  had  conquered,  he  looked  forward  with  con- 
fidence to  silence  the  calumnies  of  his  foes. 

As  he  traversed  the  valley  of  the  Gaudalquivir 
he  often  turned  and  looked  back  wistfully  upon 
Cordova  ;  and,  at  the  distance  of  a  league,  when 
about  to  lose  sight  of  it,  he  checked  his  steed 
upon  the  summit  of  a  hill,  and  gazed  for  a  long 
time  upon  its  palaces  and  towers.  "  0  Cordova !  " 
exclaimed  he,  "  great  and  glorious  art  thou  among 
cities,  and  abundant  in  all  delights.  With  grief 
and  sorrow  do  I  part  from  thee,  for  sure  I  am  it 
would  give  me  length  of  days  to  abide  within  thy 
pleasant  walls  ! "  When  he  had  uttered  these 


190  THE  SUBJUGATION   OF  SPAIN. 

words,  say  the  Arabian  chronicles,  he  resumed 
his  wayfaring  ;  but  his  eyes  were  bent  upon  the 
ground,  and  frequent  sighs  bespoke  the  heaviness 
of  his  heart. 

Embarking  at  Cadiz,  he  passed  over  to  Africa 
with  all  his  people  and  effects,  to  regulate  his 
government  in  that  country.  He  divided  the 
command  between  his  sons,  Abdelola  arid  Meruan, 
leaving  the  former  in  Tangier  and  the  latter  in 
Cairvan.  Thus  having  secured,  as  he  thought, 
the  power  and  prosperity  of  his  family,  by  placing 
all  his  sons  as  his  lieutenants  in  the  country  ho 
had  conquered,  he  departed  for  Syria,  bearing 
with  him  the  sumptuous  spoils  of  the  West. 

While  Muza  was  thus  disposing  of  his  com- 
mands, and  moving  cumbrously  under  the  weight 
of  wealth,  the  veteran  Taric  was  more  speedy 
and  alert  in  obeying  the  summons  of  the  caliph. 
He  knew  the  importance,  \vhere  complaints  were 
to  be  heard,  of  being  first  in  presence  of  the 
judge  ;  besides,  he  was  ever  ready  to  march  at  a 
moment's  warning,  and  had  nothing  to  impede 
him  in  his  movements.  The  spoils  he  had  made 
in  his  conquests  had  either  been  shared  among 
his  soldiers,  or  yielded  up  to  Muza,  or  squandered 
away  with  open-handed  profusion.  He  ap- 
peared in  Syria  with  a  small  train  of  war-worn 
followers,  and  had  no  other  trophies  to  show  than 
his  battered  armor  and  a  body  seamed  with  scars. 
He  was  received,  however,  with  rapture  by  the 
multitude,  who  crowded  to  behold  one  of  those 
conquerors  of  the  West,  whose  wonderful  achieve- 
ments were  the  theme  of  every  tongue.  They 


THE  SUBJUGATION   OF  SPAIN.  191 

were  charmed  with  his  gaunt  and  martial  air, 
his  hard,  sunburnt  features,  and  his  scathed  eye. 
"  All  hail,"  cried  they,  "  to  the  Sword  of  Islam, 
the  terror  of  the  unbelievers !  Behold  the  true 
model  of  a  warrior,  who  despises  gain,  and  seeks 
for  nought  but  glory  !  " 

Taric  was  graciously  received  by  the  caliph, 
who  asked  tidings  of  his  victories.  He  gave  a 
soldier-like  account  of  his  actions,  frank  and 
full,  without  any  feigned  modesty,  yet  without 
vainglory.  "  Commander  of  the  Faithful,"  said 
he,  "  I  bring  thee  no  silver,  nor  gold,  nor  pre- 
cious stories,  nor  captives,  for  what  spoils  I  did 
not  share  with  my  soldiers  I  gave  up  to  Muza  as 
my  commander.  How  I  have  conducted  myself 
the  honorable  warriors  of  thy  host  will  tell  thee ; 
nay,  let  our  enemies,  the  Christians,  be  asked  if  I 
have  ever  shown  myself  cowardly,  or  cruel,  or 
rapacious." 

"  What  kind  of  people  are  these  Christians  ?  * 
demanded  the  caliph. 

"The  Spaniards,"  replied  Taric,  "are  lions  in 
their  castles,  eagles  in  their  saddles,  but  mere 
women  when  on  foot.  When  vanquished  they 
escape  like  goats  to  the  mountains,  for  they  need 
not  see  the  ground  they  tread  on." 

"  And  tell  me  of  the  Moors  of  Barbary." 

"They  are  like  Arabs  in  the  fierceness  and 
dexterity  of  their  attacks  and  in  their  knowledge 
of  the  stratagems  of  war  ;  they  resemble  them, 
too,  in  feature,  in  fortitude,  and  hospitality  ;  but 
they  are  the  most  perfidious  people  upon  earth, 
and  never  regard  promise  or  plighted  faith." 


192  THE  SUBJUGATION   OF  SPAIN. 

"  And  the  people  of  Afranc  ;  what  sayest  thou 
of  them  ?  " 

"  They  are  infinite  in  number,  rapid  in  the  on- 
set, fierce  in  battle,  but  confused  and  headlong  in 
flight." 

"  And  how  fared  it  with  thee  among  these 
people  ?  Did  they  sometimes  vanquish  thee  ?  " 

"  Never,  by  Allah  ! "  cried  Taric,  with  honest 
warmth  ;  never  did  a  banner  of  mine  fly  the 
field.  Though  the  enemy  were  two  to  one,  my 
Moslems  never  shunned  the  combat ! " 

The  caliph  was  well  pleased  with  the  martial 
bluntness  of  the  veteran,  and  showed  him  great 
honor ;  and  wherever  Taric  appeared  he  was  the 
i<iol  of  the  populace. 


CHAPTER   XIV. 

MLuza  arrives  at  Damascus.  —  His  Interview  with  the  Caliph.— 
The  Table  of  Solomon.  —  A  rigorous  Sentence. 

JHORTLY  after  the  arrival  of  Taric  el 
Tuerto  at  Damascus,  the  caliph  fell 
dangerously  ill,  insomuch  that  his  life 
was  despaired  of.  During  his  illness,  tidings 
were  brought  that  Muza  ben  Nosier  had  entered 
Syria  with  a  vast  cavalcade,  bearing  all  the 
riches  and  trophies  gained  in  the  western  con- 
quests. Now  Suleiman  ben  Abdelraelec,  brother 
to  the  caliph,  was  successor  to  the  throne,  and  he 
saw  that  his  brother  had  not  long  to  live,  and 
wished  to  grace  the  commencement  of  his  reign 
by  this  triumphant  display  of  the  spoils  of  Chris- 
tendom ;  he  sent  messengers,  therefore,  to  Muza, 
saying,  "  The  caliph  is  ill  and  cannot  receive 
thee  at  present ;  I  pray  thee  tarry  on  the  road 
until  his  recovery."  Muza,  however,  paid  no  at- 
tention to  the  messages  of  Suleiman,  but  rather 
hastened  his  march  to  arrive  before  the  death  of 
the  caliph.  And  Suleiman  treasured  up  his  con- 
duct in  his  heart. 

Muza  entered  the  city  in   a  kind  of  triumph, 
with  a  long  train  of  horses  and  mules  and  camels 
laden  with   treasure,  and  with  the  four  hundred 
13 


194          THE    SUBJUGATION   OF  SPAIN. 

sons  of  Gothic  nobles  as  hostages,  each  decorated 
with  a  diadem  and  a  girdle  of  gold ;  and  with  one 
hundred  Christian  damsels,  whose  beauty  dazzled 
all  beholders.  As  he  passed  through  the  streets 
he  ordered  purses  of  gold  to  be  thrown  among 
the  populace,  who  rent  the  air  with  acclamations. 
*'  Behold,"  cried  they,  "  the  veritable  conqueror 
of  the  unbelievers !  Behold  the  true  model  of  a 
conqueror,  who  brings  home  wealth  to  his  coun- 
try ! "  And  they  heaped  benedictions  on  the  head 
of  Muza. 

The  Caliph  Waled  Almanzor  rose  from  his 
couch  of  illness  to  receive  the  emir,  who,  when 
he  repaired  to  the  palace,  filled  one  of  its  great 
courts  with  treasures  of  all  kinds  ;  the  halls,  too, 
were  thronged  with  youthful  hostages,  magnifi- 
cently attired,  and  with  Christian  damsels,  lovely 
as  the  houris  of  paradise.  When  the  caliph  de- 
manded an  account  of  the  conquest  of  Spain,  he 
gave  it  with  great  eloquence  ;  but,  in  describing 
**he  various  victories,  he  made  no  mention  of  the 
name  of  Taric,  but  spoke  as  if  everything  had 
been  effected  by  himself.  He  then  presented  the 
spoils  of  the  Christians  as  if  they  had  been  all 
taken  by  his  own  hands ;  and  when  he  delivered 
to  the  caliph  the  miraculous  table  of  Solomon,  he 
dwelt  with  animation  on  the  virtues  of  that  in- 
estimable talisman. 

Upon  this,  Taric,  who  was  present,  could  no 
longer  hold  his  peace.  "  Commander  of  the 
Faithful,"  said  he,  "  examine  this  precious  table, 
if  any  part  be  wanting."  The  caliph  examined 
the  table,  which  was  composed  of  a  single  erne- 


THE  SUBJUGATION   OF  SPAIN.          195 

raid,  and  he  found  that  one  foot  was  supplied  by  a 
foot  of  gold.  The  caliph  turned  to  Muza  and 
BJiid,  "Where  is  the. other  foot  of  the  table?" 
Muza  answered,  "  I  know  not ;  one  foot  was 
wanting  when  it  came  into  my  hands."  Upon 
this,  Taric  drew  from  beneath  his  robe  a  foot  of 
emerald  of  like  workmanship  to  the  others,  and 
fitting  exactly  to  the  table,  "  Behold,  O  Com- 
mander of  the  Faithful  !  "  cried  he,  a  proof  of 
the  real  finder  of  the  table  ;  arid  so  is  it  with  the 
greater  part  of  the  spoils  exhibited  by  Muza  as 
trophies  of  his  achievements.  It  was  I  who 
gained  them,  and  who  captured  the  cities  in  which 
they  were  found.  If  you  want  proof,  demand  of 
these  Christian  cavaliers  here  present,  most  of 
whom  I  captured ;  demand  of  those  Moslem 
warriors  who  aided  me  in  my  battles." 

Muza  was  confounded  for  a  moment,  but  at- 
tempted to  vindicate  himself.  "I  spake,"  said 
he,  "as  the  chief  of  your  armies,  under  whose 
orders  and  banners  this  conquest  was  achieved. 
The  actions  of  the  soldier  are  the  actions  of  the 
commander.  In  a  great  victory  it  is  not  sup- 
posed that  the  chief  of  the  army  takes  all  the 
captives,  or  kills  all  the  slain,  or  gathers  all  the 
booty,  though  all  are  enumerated  in  the  records 
of  his  triumph."  The  caliph,  however,  was 
wroth,  and  heeded  not  his  words.  "  You  have 
vaunted  your  own  deserts,"  said  he,  "  and  have 
forgotten  the  deserts  of  others ;  nay,  you  have 
sought  to  debase  another  who  has  loyally  served 
his  sovereign ;  the  reward  of  your  envy  and 
covetousness  be  upon  your  head  ! "  So  saying 


196          THE  SUBJUGATION   OF  SPAIN. 

he  beslowed  a  great  part  of  the  spoils  upon  Taric 
and  the  other  chiefs,  but  gave  nothing  to  Muza ; 
and  the  veteran  retired  amidst  the  sneers  and 
murmurs  of  those  present. 

In  a  few  days  the  Caliph  Waled  died,  and  was 
succeeded  by  his  brother  Suleiman.  The  new 
sovereign  cherished  deep  resentment  against 
Muza  for  having  presented  himself  at  court 
contrary  to  his  command,  and  he  listened  readily 
to  the  calumnies  of  his  enemies  —  for  Muza  had 
been  too  illustrious  in  his  deeds  not  to  have  many 
enemies.  All  now  took  courage  when  they  found 
he  was  out  of  favor,  and  they  heaped  slanders  on 
his  head ;  charging  him  with  embezzling  much 
of  the  share  of  the  booty  belonging  to  the  sove- 
reign. The  new  caliph  lent  a  willing  ear  to  the 
accusation,  and  commanded  him  to  render  up  all 
that  he  had  pillaged  from  Spain.  The  loss  of 
his  riches  might  have  been  borne  with  fortitude 
by  Muza,  but  the  stigma  upon  his  fame  filled  his 
heart  with  bitterness.  "I  have  been  a  faithful 
servant  to  the  throne  from  my  youth  upwards," 
said  he,  "  and  now  am  I  degraded  in  my  old  age. 
1  care  not  for  wealth,  I  care  not  for  life,  but  let 
me  not  be  deprived  of  that  honor  which  God  has 
bestowed  upon  me ! " 

The  caliph  was  still  more  exasperated  at  his 
repining,  and  stripped  him  of  his  commands,  con- 
fiscated his  effects,  fined  him  two  hundred  thou- 
sand pesants  of  gold,  and  ordered  that  he  should 
be  scourged  and  exposed  to  the  noontide  sun,  and 
afterwards  thrown  into  prison.1  The  populace, 
1  Conde,  pt.  1,  c.  17. 


THE  SUBJUGATION   OF  SPAIN. 


197 


ftlso,  reviled  and  scoffed  at  him  in  his  misery, 
and  as  they  beheld  him  led  forth  to  the  public 
gaze,  and  fainting  in  the  sun,  they  pointed  at  him 
with  derision,  and  exclaimed,  "  Behold  the  envi- 
ous man  and  the  impostor;  this  is  he  who  pre- 
tended to  have  conquered  the  land  of  the  unbe- 
lievers ! " 


CHAPTER  XV. 

Conduct  of  Abdalasis  as  Emir  of  Spain. 

HILE  these  events  were  happening  in 
Syria,  the  youthful  Abdalasis,  the  son 
of  Muza,  remained  as  emir  or  governor 
of  Spain.  He  was  of  a  generous  and  benignant 
disposition,  but  he  was  open  and  confiding,  and 
easily  led  away  by  the  opinions  of  those  he  loved. 
Fortunately  his  father  had  left  with  him,  as  a 
bosom  counselor,  the  discreet  Ayub,  the  nephew 
of  Muza ;  aided  by  his  advice,  he  for  some  time 
administered  the  public  affairs  prudently  and 
prosperously. 

Not  long  after  the  departure  of  his  father,  he 
received  a  letter  from  him,  written  while  on  his 
journey  to  Syria;  it  was  to  the  following  pur- 
port, :  — 

"  Beloved  son ;  honor  of  thy  lineage ;  Allah 
guard  thee  from  all  harm  and  peril!  Listen  to 
the  words  of  thy  father.  Avoid  all  treachery, 
though  it  should  promise  great  advantage,  and 
trust  not  in  him  who  counsels  it,  even  though  he 
should  be  a  brother.  The  company  of  traitors 
put  far  from  thee ;  for  how  canst  thou  be  certain 
that  he  who  has  proved  false  to  others  will  prove 
true  to  thee  ?  Beware,  O  my  son,  of  the  seduc- 
tions of  love.  It  is  an  idle  passion,  which  en- 


THE   SUBJUGATION   OF  SPAIN.          199 

Peebles  the  heart  and  blinds  the  judgment;  it 
renders  the  mighty  weak,  and  makes  slaves  of 
princes.  If  thou  shouldst  discover  any  foible  of 
a  vicious  kind  springing  up  in  thy  nature,  pluck 
it  forth,  whatever  pang  it  cost  thee.  Every 
error,  while  new,  may  easily  be  weeded  out,  but 
if  suffered  to  take  root,  it  flourishes  and  bears 
seed,  and  produces  fruit  an  hundred-fold.  Fol- 
low these  counsels,  O  son  of  my  affections,  and 
thou  shalt  live  secure." 

Abdalasis  meditated  upon  this  letter,  for  some 
part  of  it  seemed  to  contain  a  mystery  which  he 
could  not  comprehend.  He  called  to  him  his 
cousin  and  counselor,  the  discreet  Ayub.  "  What 
means  my  father,"  said  he,  "  in  cautioning  me 
against  treachery  and  treason?  Does  he  think 
my  nature  so  base  that  it  could  descend  to  such 
means  ?  " 

Ayub  read  the  letter  attentively.  "Thy 
father,"  said  he,  "  would  put  thee  on  thy  guard 
against  the  traitors  Julian  and  Oppas,  and  those 
of  their  party  who  surround  thee.  What  love 
canst  thou  expect  from  men  who  have  been  un- 
natural to  their  kindred,  and  what  loyalty  from 
wretches  who  have  betrayed  their  country  ?  " 

Abdalasis  was  satisfied  with  the  interpretation, 
and  he  acted  accordingly.  He  had  long  loathed 
all  communion  with  these  men,  for  there  is 
nothing  which  the  open,  ingenuous  nature  so 
much  abhors  as  duplicity  and  treason.  Policy, 
too,  no  longer  required  their  agency;  they  had 
rendered  their  infamous  service,  and  had  no 
longer  a  country  to  betray ;  but  they  might  turn 


TEE  SUBJUGATION   OF 


and  betray  their  employers.  Abdaltisis,  there- 
fore, removed  them  to  a  distance  from  his  court, 
and  placed  them  in  situations  where  they  could 
do  no  harm,  and  he  warned  his  commanders  from 
being  in  any  wise  influenced  by  their  counsels  or 
aided  by  their  arms. 

He  now  confided  entirely  in  his  Arabian 
troops,  and  in  the  Moorish  squadrons  from 
Africa,  and  with  their  aid  he  completed  the  con- 
quest of  Lusitania  to  the  ultimate  parts  of  the 
Algarbe,  or  west,  even  to  the  shores  of  the  great 
Ocean  sea.1  From  hence  he  sent  his  generals 
to  overrun  all  those  vast  and  rugged  sierras, 
which  rise  like  ramparts  along  the  ocean  borders 
of  the  peninsula  ;  and  they  carried  the  standard 
of  Islam  in  triumph  even  to  the  Mountains  of 
Biscay,  collecting  all  manner  of  precious  spoil. 

"It  is  not  enough,  O  Abdalasis,"  said  Ayub, 
"  that  we  conquer  and  rule  this  country  with  the 
sword  ;  if  we  wish  our  dominion  to  be  secure, 
we  must  cultivate  the  arts  of  peace,  and  study  to 
secure  the  confidence  and  promote  the  welfare  of 
the  people  we  have  conquered."  Abdalasis  rel- 
ished counsel  which  accorded  so  well  with  his 
own  beneficent  nature.  He  endeavored,  therefore, 
to  allay  the  ferment  and  confusion  of  the  conquest  ; 
forbade,  under  rigorous  punishment,  all  wanton 
spoil  or  oppression,  and  protected  the  native  in- 
habitants in  the  enjoyment  and  cultivation  of  their 

1  Algarbe,  or  Algarbia,  in  Arabic  signifies  the  west,  as  Ax- 
arkia  is  the  east,  Algufia  the  north,  and  Aquibla  the  south. 
This  will  serve  to  explain  some  of  the  geographical  names  on 
the  peninsula  which  are  of  Arabian  origin. 


•'V  >  , 

THE  SUBJUGATION    OF  SPAIN.         20} 

lands,  and  the  pursuit  of  all  useful  occupations. 
By  the  advice  of  Ayub,  also,  he  encouraged  great 
numbers  of  industrious  Moors  and  Arabs  to  emi- 
grate from  Africa,  and  gave  them  houses  and 
lands  ;  thus  introducing  a  peaceful  and  Mahometan 
population  in  the  conquered  provinces. 

The  good  effect  of  the  counsels  of  Ayub  were 
soon  apparent.  Instead  of  a  sudden  but  transient 
influx  of  wealth,  made  by  the  ruin  of  the  land, 
which  left  the  country  desolate,  a  regular  and 
permanent  revenue  sprang  up,  produced  by  re- 
viving prosperity,  and  gathered  without  violence. 
Abdalasis  ordered  it  to  be  faithfully  collected,  and 
deposited  in  coffers  by  public  officers  appointed 
in  each  province  for  the  purpose  ;  and  the  whole 
was  sent  by  ten  deputies  to  Damascus  to  be  laid 
at  the  feet  of  the  caliph  ;  not  as  the  spoils  of  a 
vanquished  country,  but  as  the  peaceful  trophies 
of  a  wisely  administered  government. 

The  common  herd  of  warlike  adventurers,  the 
mere  men  of  the  sword,  who  had  thronged  to 
Spain  for  the  purpose  of  ravage  and  rapine,  were 
disappointed  at  being  thus  checked  in  their  career, 
and  at  seeing  the  reign  of  terror  and  violence 
drawing  to  a  close.  What  manner  of  leader  is 
this,  said  they,  who  forbids  us  to  make  spoil  of 
the  enemies  of  Islam,  and  to  enjoy  the  land  we 
have  wrested  from  the  unbelievers?  The  partisans 
of  Julian,  also,  whispered  their  calumnies.  "  Be- 
hold," said  they,  "  with  what  kindness  he  treats 
the  enemies  of  your  faith  ;  all  the  Christians  who 
have  borne  arms  against  you,  and  withstood  your 
entrance  into  the  land,  are  favored  and  protected ; 


202    THE  SUBJUGATION  OF  SPAIN. 

but  it  is  enough  for  a  Christian  to  have  befriended 
the  cause  of  the  Moslems  to  be  singled  out  by 
Abdalasis  for  persecution,  and  to  be  driven  with 
scorn  from  his  presence." 

These  insinuations  fermented  the  discontent  of 
the  turbulent  and  rapacious  among  the  Moslems, 
but  all  the  friends  of  peace  and  order  and  good 
government  applauded  the  moderation  of  the 
youthful  emir. 


CHAPTER    XVI. 

Loves  of  Abdalasis  and  Exilona. 

JBDALASIS  had  fixed  his  seat  of  govern- 
ment  at  Seville,  as  permitting  easy  and 
frequent  communications  with  the  coast 
of  Africa.  His  palace  was  of  noble  architecture, 
with  delightful  gardens  extending  to  the  banks  of 
the  Gaudalquivir.  In  a  part  of  this  palace 
resided  many  of  the  most  beautiful  Christian 
females,  who  were  detained  as  captives,  or  rather 
hostages,  to  insure  the  tranquillity  of  the  country. 
Those  who  were  of  noble  rank  were  entertained 
in  luxury  and  magnificence  ;  slaves  were  appointed 
to  attend  upon  them,  and  they  were  arrayed  in 
the  richest  apparel  and  decorated  with  the  most 
precious  jewels.  Those  of  tender  age  were  taught 
all  graceful  accomplishments;  and  even  where 
tasks  were  imposed,  they  were  of  the  most  elegant 
and  agreeable  kind.  They  embroidered,  they 
sang,  they  danced,  and  passed  their  times  in  pleas- 
ing revelry.  Many  were  lulled  by  this  easy  and 
voluptuous  existence  ;  the  scenes  of  horror  through 
which  they  had  passed  were  gradually  effaced 
from  their  minds,  and  a  desire  was  often  awakened 
of  rendering  themselves  pleasing  in  the  eyes  of 
their  conquerors. 


204         THE  SUBJUGATION   OF  SPAIN. 

After  his  return  from  his  campaign  in  Lusitania 
and  during  the  intervals  of  public  duty,  Abdalasis 
solaced  himself  in  the  repose  of  this  palace,  and 
in  the  society  of  these  Christian  captives.  He 
remarked  one  among  them  who  ever  sat  apart, 
and  neither  joined  in  the  labors  nor  sports  of  her 
companions. 

She  was  lofty  in  her  demeanor,  and  the  others 
always  paid  her  reverence ;  yet  sorrow  had  given 
a  softness  to  her  charms,  and  rendered  her  beauty 
touching  to  the  heart.  Abdalasis  found  her  one 
day  in  the  garden  with  her  companions  ;  they  had 
adorned  their  heads  with  flowers,  and  were  sing- 
ing the  songs  of  their  country,  but  she  sat  by 
herself  and  wept.  The  youthful  emir  was  moved 
by  her  tears,  and  accosted  her  in  gentle  accents. 
"  O  fairest  of  women ! "  said  he,  "  why  dost  thou 
weep,  and  why  is  thy  heart  troubled  ?  "  "  Alas  ! " 
replied  she,  "  have  I  not  cause  to  weep,  seeing 
how  sad  is  my  condition,  and  how  great  the 
height  from  which  I  have  fallen  ?  In  me  you 
behold  the  wretched  Exilona,  but  lately  the  wife 
of  Roderick  and  the  Queen  of  Spain,  now  a 
captive  and  a  slave  ! "  and,  having  said  these 
words,  she  cast  her  eyes  upon  the  earth,  and  her 
tears  began  to  flow  afresh. 

The  generous  feelings  of  Abdalasis  were  aroused 
it  the  sight  of  beauty  and  royalty  in  tears.  He 
gave  orders  that  Exilona  should  be  entertained 
in  a  style  befitting  her  former  rank  ;  he  appointed 
n  train  of  female  attendants  to  wait  upon  her,  and 
a  guard  of  honor  to  protect  her  from  all  intrusion. 
All  the  time  that  he  could  spare  from  public  con- 


THE  SUBJUGATION   OF  SPAIN.          205 

cerns  was  passed  in  her  society  ;  and  he  even 
neglected  his  divan,  and  suffered  his  counselors 
to  attend  in  vain,  while  he  lingered  in  the  apart- 
ments and  gardens  of  the  palace,  listening  to  the 
voice  of  Exilona. 

The  discreet  Ayub  saw  the  danger  into  which 
he  was  falling.  "  0  Abdalasis,"  said  he,  "  re- 
member the  words  of  thy  father.  *  Beware,  my 
son,'  said  he,  '  of  the  seductions  of  love.  It  ren- 
ders the  mighty  weak,  and  makes  slaves  of 
princes  ! ' '  A  blush  kindled  on  the  cheek  of  Ab- 
dalasis, and  he  was  silent  for  a  moment.  "  Why, " 
said  he,  at  length,  "  do  you  seek  to  charge  me 
with  such  weakness  ?  It  is  one  thing  to  be  in- 
fatuated by  the  charms  of  a  woman,  and  another 
to  be  touched  by  her  misfortunes.  It  is  the  duty 
of  my  station  to  console  a  princess  who  has  been 
'reduced  to  the  lowest  humiliation  by  the  triumphs 
of  our  arms.  In  doing  so  I  do  but  listen  to  the 
dictates  of  true  magnanimity." 

Ayub  was  silent,  but  his  brow  was  clouded, 
and  for  once  Abdalasis  parted  in  discontent  from 
his  counselor.  In  proportion  as  he  was  dis- 
satisfied with  others  or  with  himself,  he  sought 
the  society  of  Exilona,  for  there  was  a  charm  in 
her  conversation  that  banished  every  care.  He* 
daily  became  more  and  more  enamored,  and 
Exilona  gradually  ceased  to  weep,  and  began  to 
listen  with  secret  pleasure  to  the  words  of  her 
Arab  lover.  When,  however,  he  sought  to  urge 
nis  passion,  she  recollected  the  light  estimation  in 
which  her  sex  was  held  by  the  followers  of  Ma- 
homet, and  assumed  a  countenance  grave  and 
severe. 


206          THE  SUBJUGATION   OF  SPAIN. 

"  Fortune,"  said  she,  "  has  cast  me  at  thy  feet ; 
behold  I  am  thy  captive  and  thy  spoil.  But 
though  my  person  is  in  thy  power,  my  soul  is  un- 
subdued ;  and  know  that,  should  I  lack  force  to 
defend  my  honor,  I  have  resolution  to  wash  out 
all  stain  upon  it  with  my  blood.  I  trust,  how- 
ever, in  thy  courtesy  as  a  cavalier  to  respect  me 
in  my  reverses,  remembering  what  I  have  been, 
and  that  though  the  crown  has  been  wrested  from 
my  brow,  the  royal  blood  still  warms  within  my 
veins.1 

The  lofty  spirit  of  Exilona,  and  her  proud  re- 
pulse, served  but  to  increase  the  passion  of  Ab- 
dalasis.  He  besought  her  to  unite  her  destiny 
with  his,  and  share  his  state  and  power,  promising 
that  she  should  have  no  rival  nor  copartner  in  his 
heart.  Whatever  scruples  the  captive  queen 
might  originally  have  felt  to  a  union  with  one  of 
the  conquerors  of  her  lord,  and  an  enemy  of  her 
adopted  faith,  they  were  easily  vanquished,  and 
she  became  the  bride  of  Abdalasis.  He  would 
fain  have  persuaded  her  to  return  to  the  faith  of 
her  fathers ;  but  though  of  Moorish  origin,  and 
brought  up  in  the  doctrines  of  Islam,  she  was  too 
thorough  a  convert  to  Christianity  to  consent,  and 
looked  back  with  disgust  upon  a  religion  that 
admitted  a  plurality  of  wives. 

When  the  sage  Ayub  heard  of  the  resolution 
of  Abdalasis  to  espouse  Exilona  he  was  in  de- 
spair. "  Alas,  my  cousin  ! "  said  he,  "  what  in- 
r'utuation  possesses  thee  ?  Hast  thou  then  entirely 

1  Faxardo,  Corona  Gothica,  T.  1,  p.  492.     Joan.  Mar.  dt 
Reb.  Hisp.  L.  6,  c.  27. 


THE  SUBJUGATION  OF  SPAIN.    207 

forgotten  the  letter  of  thy  father?  '  Beware,  my 
son,'  said  he,  *  of  love  ;  it  is  an  idle  passion,  which 
enfeebles  the  heart  and  blinds  the  judgment.' " 
But  Abdalasis  interrupted  him  with  impatience. 
"  My  father,"  said  he,  "  spake  but  of  the  blandish- 
ments of  wanton  love ;  against  these  I  am  secured 
by  my  virtuous  passion  for  Exilona." 

Ayub  would  fain  have  impressed  upon  him  the 
dangers  he  ran  of  awakening  suspicion  m  the 
caliph,  and  discontent  among  the  Moslems,  by 
wedding  the  queen  of  the  conquered  Roderick, 
and  one  who  was  an  enemy  to  the  religion  of 
Mahomet;  but  the  youthful  lover  only  listened 
to  his  passion.  Their  nuptials  were  celebrated 
at  Seville  with  great  pomp  and  rejoicings,  and  he 
gave  his  bride  the  name  of  Omalisara  ;  that  is  to 
say,  she  of  the  precious  jewels ; l  but  she  con- 
tinued to  be  known  among  the  Christians  by  the 
name  of  Exilona. 

l  Conde,  pt.  1,  c.  17. 


CHAPTER    XVII. 

Fate  of  Abdalasis  and  Exilona.  —  Death  of  Muza. 


instead  of  cooling  the 
passion  of  Abdalasis,  only  added  to  its 
force  ;  he  became  blindly  enamored  of- 
his  beautiful  bride,  and  consulted  her  will  in  all 
things  ;  nay,  having  lost  all  relish  for  the  advice 
of  the  discreet  Ayub,  he  was  even  guided  by  the 
counsels  of  his  wife  in  the  affairs  of  government. 
Exilona,  unfortunately,  had  once  been  a  queen, 
and  she  could  not  remember  her  regal  glories 
without  regret.  She  saw  that  Abdalasis  had 
great  power  in  the  land,  —  greater  even  than  had 
been  possessed  by  the  Gothic  kings,  —  but  she 
considered  it  as  wanting  in  true  splendor  until  his 
brow  should  be  encircled  with  the  outward  badge 
of  royalty.  One  day  when  they  were  alone  in 
the  palace  of  Seville,  and  the  heart  of  Abdalasis 
was  given  up  to  tenderness,  she  addressed  him  in 
fond  yet  timid  accents.  "  Will  not  my  lord  bo 
offended,"  said  she,  "  if  I  make  an  unwelcome  re- 
quest ?  "  Abdalasis  regarded  her  with  a  smile. 
"  What  canst  thou  ask  of  me,  Exilona,"  said  he, 
"  that  it  would  not  be  a  happiness  for  me  to 
grant  ?  "  Then  Exilona  produced  a  crown  of 
gold,  sparkling  with  jewels,  which  had  belonged 
to  the  king,  Don  Roderick,  and  said,  "  Behold, 


THE  SUBJUGATION  OF  SPAIN.         209 

thou  art  king  in  authority  ;  be  so  in  thy  outward 
state.  There  is  majesty  and  glory  in  a  crown  ;  it 
gives  a  sanctity  to  power."  Then  putting  the 
crown  upon  his  head,  she  held  a  mirror  before 
him  that  he  might  behold  the  majesty  of  his  ap- 
pearance. Abdalasis  chid  her  fondly,  and  put  the 
crown  away  from  him,  but  Exilona  persisted  in 
her  prayer.  "  Never,"  said  she,  "  has  there  been 
a  king  in  Spain  that  did  not  wear  a  crown."  So 
Abdaiasis  suffered  himself  to  be  beguiled  by  the 
blandishments  of  his  wife,  and  to  be  invested 
with  the  crown  and  sceptre  and  other  signs  of 
royalty.1 

It  is  affirmed  by  ancient  and  discreet  chron- 
iclers, that  Abdalasis  only  assumed  this  royal 
state  in  the  privacy  of  his  palace,  and  to  gratify 
the  eye  of  his  youthful  bride  ;  but  where  was  a 
secret  ever  confined  within  the  walls  of  a  palace? 
The  assumption  of  the  insignia  of  the  ancient 
Gothic  kings  was  soon  rumored  about,  and  caused 
the  most  violent  suspicions.  The  Moslems  had 
already  felt  jealous  of  the  ascendency  of  this 
beautiful  woman,  and  it  was  now  confidently  as- 
serted that  Abdalasis,  won  by  her  persuasions, 
had  secretly  turned  Christian. 

The  enemies  of  Abdalasis,  those  whose  rapa- 
cious spirits  had  been  kept  in  check  by  the  be- 
neficence of  his  rule,  seized  upon  this  occasion  to 
ruin  him.  They  sent  letters  to  Damascus,  ac- 
cusing him  of  apostacy,  and  of  an  intention  to 
seize  upon  the  throne  in  right  of  his  wife, 

i-Chron.  gen.  de  Alonzo  el  Sabio,  p.  3.  Joan  Mar.  de,  Rtb. 
nisp.  lib.  6,  c.  27.  Conde,  pt.  1,  c.  19. 


210          THE  SUBJUGATION   OF  SPAIN. 

Exilona,  as  widow  of  the  late  king  Roderick.  It 
was  added,  that  the  Christians  were  prepared  to 
flock  to  his  standard  as  the  only  means  of  regain- 
ing ascendency  in  their  country. 

These  accusations  arrived  at  Damascus  just 
after  the  accession  of  the  sanguinary  Suleiman  to 
the  throne,  and  in  the  height  of  his  persecution 
of  the  unfortunate  Muza.  The  caliph  waited 
for  no  proofs  in  confirmation  ; .  he  immediately 
sent  private  orders  that  Abdalasis  should  be  put 
to  death,  and  that  the  same  fate  should  be  dealt 
to  his  two  brothers  who  governed  in  Africa,  as  a 
sure  means  of  crushing  the  conspiracy  of  this 
ambitious  family. 

The  mandate  for  the  death  of  Abdalasis  was 
sent  to  Abhilbar  ben  Obeidah  and  Zeyd  ben 
Nabegat,  both  of  whom  had  been  cherished 
friends  of  Muza,  and  had  lived  in  intimate  favor 
and  companionship  with  his  son.  When  they 
read  the  fatal  parchment,  the  scroll  fell  from  their 
trembling  hands.  "  Can  such  hostility  exist 
against  the  family  of  Muza?"  exclaimed  they. 
"  Is  this  the  reward  for  such  great  and  glorious 
services?"  The  cavaliers  remained  for  some  time 
plunged  in  horror  and  consternation.  The  order, 
however,  was  absolute,  and  left  them  no. discre- 
tion. "  Allah  is  great,"  said  they,  "  and  com- 
mands us  to  obey  our  sovereign."  So  they  pre- 
pared to  execute  the  bloody  mandate  with  the 
blind  fidelity  of  Moslems. 

It  was  necessary  to  proceed  with  caution.  The 
open  and  magnanimous  character  of  Abdalasia 
had  won  the  hearts  of  a  great  part  of  the  sol- 


THE  SUBJUGATION  OF  SPAIN.         211 

diery,  and  his  magnificence  pleased  the  cavaliers 
who  formed  his  guard  ;  it  was  feared,  therefore; 
that  a  sanguinary  opposition  would  be  made  to 
any  attempt  upon  his  person.  The  rabble,  how- 
ever, had  been  imbiitered  against  him  from  his 
having  restrained  their  depredations,  and  because 
they  thought  him  an  apostate  in  his  heart,  se- 
cretly bent  upon  betraying  them  to  the  Christians. 
While,  therefore,  the  two  officers  made  vigilant 
dispositions  to  check  any  movement  on  the  part 
of  the  soldiery,  they  let  loose  the  blind  fury  of 
the  populace  by  publishing  the  fatal  mandate.  In 
a  moment  the  city  was  in  a  ferment,  and  there 
was  a  ferocious  emulation  who  should  be  first  to 
execute  the  orders  of  the  caliph. 

Abdalasis  was  at  this  time  at  a  palace  in  the 
country  not  far  from  Seville,  commanding  a  de- 
lightful view  of  the  fertile  plain  of  the  Guadal- 
quivir. Hither  he  was  accustomed  to  retire  from 
the  tumult  of  the  court,  and  to  pass  his  time 
among  groves  and  fountains  and  the  sweet  repose 
of  gardens,  in  the  society  of  Exilona.  It  was 
the  dawn  of  day,  the  hour  of  early  prayer,  when 
the  furious  populace  arrived  at  this  retreat.  Ab- 
dalasis was  offering  up  his  orisons  in  a  small 
mosque  which  he  had  erected  for  the  use  of  the 
neighboring  peasantry.  Exilona  was  in  a  chapel 
in  the  interior  of  the  palace,  where  her  confessor, 
a  holy  friar,  was  performing  mass.  They  were 
both  surprised  at  their  devotions,  and  dragged 
forth  by  the  hands  of  the  rabble.  A  few  guards, 
who  attended  at  the  palace,  would  have  made  de- 
fense, but  they  were  overawed  by  the  sight  of  tho 
written  mandate  of  the  caliph. 


212  THE  SUBJUGATION  OF  SPAIN. 

The  captives  were  borne  in  triumph  to  Sevil/e, 
All  the  beneficent  virtues  of  Abdalasis  were  for- 
gotten ;  nor  had  the  charms  of  Exilona  any  effect 
in  softening  the  hearts  of  the  populace.  The 
brutal  eagerness  to  shed  blood,  which  seems  in- 
herent in  human  nature,  was  awakened  ;  and  woe 
to  the  victims  when  that  eagerness  is  quickened  by 
religious  hate.  The  illustrious  couple,  adorned 
with  all  the  graces  of  youth  and  beauty,  were 
hurried  to  a  scaffold  in  the  great  square  of  Seville, 
and  there  beheaded  amidst  the  shouts  and  execra- 
tions of  an  infatuated  multitude.  Their  bodies 
were  left  exposed  upon  the  ground,  and  would 
have  been  devoured  by  dogs,  had  they  not  been 
gathered  at  night  by  some  friendly  hand,  and 
poorly  interred  in  one  of  the  courts  of  their  late 
dwelling. 

Thus  terminated  the  loves  and  lives  of  Abdal- 
asis and  Exilona,  in  the  year  of  the  Incarnation 
seven  hundred  and  fourteen.  Their  names  were 
held  sacred  as  martyrs  to  the  Christian  faith  ; 
but  many  read  in  their  untimely  fate  a  lesson 
against  ambition  and  vainglory ;  having  sacri- 
ficed real  power  and  substantial  rule  to  the  glit- 
tering bauble  of  a  crown. 

The  head  of  Abdalasis  was  embalmed  and  in- 
closed in  a  casket,  and  sent  to  Syria  to  the  cruel 
Suleiman.  The  messenger  who  bore  it  overtook 
the  caliph  as  he  was  performing  a  pilgrimage  to 
Mecca.  Muza  was  among  the  courtiers  in  his 
train,  having  been  released  from  prison.  On 
opening  the  casket  and  regarding  its  contents, 
the  eyes  of  the  tyrant  sparkled  with  malignant 


THE  SUBJUGATION  OF  SPAIN.          213 

satisfaction.  Calling  the  unhappy  father  to  his 
side,  "  Muza,"  said  he,  "  dost  tliou  know  thia 
head  ?  "  The  veteran  recognized  the  features  of 
his  beloved  son,  and  turned  his  face  away  with 
anguish.  "  Yes  !  well  do  I  know  it,"  replied  he ; 
"  and  may  the  curse  of  God  light  upon  him  who 
has  destroyed  a  better  man  than  himself." 

Without  adding  another  word,  he  retired  to 
Mount  Deran,  a  prey  to  devouring  melancholy. 
He  shortly  after  received  tidings  of  the  death  of 
his  two  sons,  whom  he  had  left  in  the  govern- 
ment of  western  Africa,  and  who  had  fallen  vic- 
tims to  the  jealous  suspicions  of  the  Caliph. 
His  advanced  age  was  not  proof  against  these 
repeated  blows,  and  this  utter  ruin  of  his  late 
prosperous  family,  and  he  sank  into  his  grave 
sorrowing  and  broken-hearted. 

Such  was  the  lamentable  end  of  the  conqueror 
of  Spain ;  whose  great  achievements  were  not 
sufficient  to  atone,  in  the  eye  of  his  sovereign, 
for  a  weakness  to  which  all  men  ambitious  of 
renown  are  subject ;  and  whose  triumphs  eventu- 
ally brought  persecution  upon  himself  and  un- 
timely death  upon  his  children. 

Here  ends  the  legend  of  the  Subjugation  of 
Spain. 


LEGEND 
OP 

COUNT  JULIAN  AND  HIS  FAMILY, 


LEGEND 

OF 

COUNT  JULIAN  AND  HIS  FAMILY. 


the  preceding  legends  is  darkly  shad- 
owed out  a  true  story  of  the  woes  of 
Spain.  It  is  a  story  full  of  wholesome 
admonition,  rebuking  the  insolence  of  human 
pride  and  the  vanity  of  human  ambition,  and 
showing  the  futility  of  all  greatness  that  is  not 
strongly  based  on  virtue.  We  have  seen,  in 
brief  space  of  time,  most  of  the  actors  in  this 
historic  drama  disappearing,  one  by  one,  from  the 
scene,  and  going  down,  conqueror  and  conquered, 
to  gloomy  and  unhonored  graves.  It  remains  to 
close  this  eventful  history  by  holding  up,  as  a 
signal  warning,  the  fate  of  the  traitor  whose  per- 
fidious scheme  of  vengeance  brought  ruin  on  his 
native  land. 

Many  and  various  are  the  accounts  given  in 
ancient  chronicles  of  the  fortunes  of  Count  Julian 
and  his  family,  and  many  are  the  traditions  on 
the  subject  still  extant  among  the  populace  of 
Spain,  and  perpetuated  in  those  countless  ballads 


218      COUNT  JULIAN  AND  HIS  FAMILY. 

sung  by  peasants  and  muleteers,  which  spread  a 
singular  charm  over  the  whole  of  this  romantic 
land. 

He  who  has  travelled  in  Spain  in  the  true  way 
in  which  the  country  ought  to  be  travelled, —  so- 
journing in  its  remote  provinces,  rambling  among 
the  rugged  defiles  and  secluded  valleys  of  its 
mountains,  and  making  himself  familiar  with  the 
people  in  their  out-of-the-way  hamlets  and  rarely- 
visited  neighborhoods,  —  will  remember  many  a 
group  of  travellers  and  muleteers,  gathered  of  an 
evening  around  the  door  or  the  spacious  hearth 
of  a  mountain  venta,  wrapped  in  their  brown 
cloaks,  and  listening  witli  grave  and  profound 
attention  to  the  long  historic  ballad  of  some  rustic 
troubadour,  either  recited  with  the  true  ore  ro- 
tunda and  modulated  cadences  of  Spanish  elocu- 
tion, or  chanted  to  the  tinkling  of  a  guitar.  In 
this  way  he  may  have  heard  the  doleful  end  of 
Count  Julian  and  his  family  recounted  in  tradi- 
tionary rhymes,  that  have  been  handed  down 
from  generation  to  generation.  The  particulars, 
however,  of  the  following  wild  legend  are  chiefly 
gathered  from  the  writings  of  the  pseudo  Moor 
Rasis ;  how  far  they  may  be  safely  taken  as  his- 
toric facts  it  is  impossible  now  to  ascertain ;  we 
must  content  ourselves,  therefore,  with  their  an- 
swering to  the  exactions  of  poetic  justice. 

As  yet  everything  had  prospered  with  Count 
Julian.  He  had  gratified  his  vengeance ;  he  had 
been  successful  in  his  treason,  and  had  acquired 
countless  riches  from  the  ruin  of  his  country. 
But  it  is  not  outward  success  that  constitutes 


COUNT  JULIAN  AND  hlS  FAMILY.     219 

prosperity.  The  tree  flourishes  with  fruit  and 
foliage  while  blasted  and  withering  at  the  heart 
Wherever  he  went,  Count  Julian  read  hatred  ir 
every  eye.  The  Christians  cursed  him  as  the 
cause  of  all  their  woe ;  the  Moslems  despised  and 
distrusted  him  as  a  traitor.  Men  whispered  to- 
gether as  he  approached,  and  then  turned  away 
in  scorn;  and  mothers  snatched  away  their  chil- 
dren with  horror  if  he  offered  to  caress  them. 
He  withered  under  the  execration  of  his  fellow- 
men,  and  last,  and  worst  of  all,  he  began  to 
loathe  himself.  He  tried  in  vain  to  persuade 
himself  that  he  had  but  taken  a  justifiable  ven- 
geance ;  he  felt  that  no  personal  wrong  can  jus- 
tify the  crime  of  treason  to  one's  country. 

For  a  time  he  sought  in  luxurious  indulgence 
to  soothe  or  forget  the  miseries  of  the  mind.  He 
assembled  round  him  every  pleasure  and  gratifi- 
cation that  boundless  wealth  could  purchase,  but 
all  in  vain.  He  had  no  relish  for  the  dainties 
of  his  board  ;  music  had  no  charm  wherewith  to 
lull  his  soul,  and  remorse  drove  slumber  from  his 
pillow.  He  sent  to  Ceuta  for  his  wife  Fran- 
dina,  his  daughter  Florinda,  and  his  youthful  son 
Alarbot ;  hoping  in  the  bosom  of  his  family  to 
find  that  sympathy  and  kindness  which  he  could 
no  longer  meet  with  in  this  world.  Their  pres- 
ence, however,  brought  him  no  alleviation.  Flo- 
rinda, the  daughter  of  his  heart,  for  whose  sake 
he  had  undertaken  this  signal  vengeance,  was 
sinking  a  victim  to  its  effects.  Wherever  she 
went,  she  found  herself  a  byword  of  shame  and 
reproach.  The  outrage  she  had  suffered  was  im- 


220      CO  if  NT.    JULIAN  AND  HIS  FAMILY. 

puted  to  her  as  wantonness,  and  her  calamity  was 
magnified  into  a  crime.  The  Christians  never 
mentioned  her  name  without  a  curse,  and  the 
Moslems,  the  gainers  by  her  misfortune,  spake  of 
her  only  by  the  appellation  of  Cava,  the  vilest 
epithet  they  could  apply  to  woman. 

But  the  opprobrium  of  the  world  was  nothing 
to  the  upbraiding  of  her  own  heart.  She  charged 
herself  with  all  the  miseries  of  these  disastrous 
wars  —  the  deaths  of  so  many  gallant  cavaliers, 
the  conquest  and  perdition  of  her  country.  The 
anguish  of  her  mind  preyed  upon  the  beauty  of 
her  person.  Her  eye,  once  soft  and  tender  in  its 
expression,  became  wild  and  haggard  ;  her  cheek 
lost  its  bloom,  and  became  hollow  and  pallid,  and 
at  times  there  was  desperation  in  her  words. 
When  her  father  sought  to  embrace  her  she  with- 
drew with  shuddering  from  his  arms,  for  she 
thought  of  his  treason  and  the  ruin  it  had  brought 
upon  Spain.  Her  wretchedness  increased  after 
her  return  to  her  native  country,  until  it  rose  to 
a  degree  of  frenzy.  One  day  when  she  was  walk- 
ing with  her  parents  in  the  garden  of  their  palace, 
she  entered  a  tower,  and,  having  barred  the  door, 
ascended  to  the  battlements.  From  thence  she 
called  to  them  in  piercing  accents,  expressive  of 
her  insupportable  anguish  and  desperate  determi- 
nation. "  Let  this  city,"  said  she,  "  be  henceforth 
called  Malacca,  in  memorial  of  the  most  wretched 
of  women,  who  therein  put  an  end  to  her  days." 
So  saying,  she  threw  herself  headlong  from  the 
tower,  and  was  dashed  to  pieces.  The  city,  adds 
the  ancient  chronicler,  received  the  name  thus 


COUNT  JULTAN  AND  HIS  FAMILY.      221 

given  it,  though  afterwards  softened  to  Malaga, 
which  it  still  retains  in  memory  of  the  tragical 
end  of  Florinda. 

The  Countess  Frandina  abandoned  this  scene 
of  woe,  and  returned  to  Ceuta,  accompanied  by 
her  infant  son.  She  took  with  her  the  remains 
of  her  unfortunate  daughter,  and  gave  them  hon- 
orable sepulture  in  a  mausoleum  of  the  chapel  be- 
longing to  the  citadel.  Count  Julian  departed  for 
Carthagena,  where  he  remained  plunged  in  hor- 
ror at  this  doleful  event. 

About  this  time,  the  cruel  Suleiman,  having 
destroyed  the  family  of  Muza,  had  sent  an  Arab 
general,  named  Alahor,  to  succeed  Abdalasis  as 
emir  or  governor  of  Spain.  The  new  emir  was 
of  a  cruel  and  suspicious  nature,  and  commenced 
his  sway  with  a  stern  severity  that  soon  made  those 
under  his  command  look  back  with  regret  to  the 
easy  rule  of  Abdalasis.  He  regarded  with  an  eye 
of  distrust  the  renegado  Christians  who  had  aided 
in  the  conquest,  and  who  bore  arms  in  the  service 
of  the  Moslems  ;  but  his  deepest  suspicions  fell 
upon  Count  Julian.  "  He  has  been  a  traitor  to 
his  own  countrymen,"  said  he ;  "  how  can  we  be 
sure  that  he  will  not  prove  traitor  to  us  ?  " 

A  sudden  insurrection  of  the  Christians  who 
had  taken  refuge  in  the  Asturian  Mountains, 
quickened  his  suspicions,  and  inspired  him  with 
fears  of  some  dangerous  conspiracy  against  his 
power.  In  the  height  of  his  anxiety,  he  be- 
thought him  of  an  Arabian  sage  named  Yuza, 
who  had  accompanied  him  from  Africa.  This 
*on  of  science  was  withered  in  form,  and  looked 


222      COUNT  JULIAN  AND  HIS  FAMILY. 

as  if  he  had  outlived  the  usual  terra  of  mortal  life. 
In  the  course  of  his  studies  and  travels  in  the 
East,  he  had  collected  the  knowledge  and  expe- 
rience of  ages ;  being  skilled  in  astrology,  and,  it 
is  said,  in  necromancy,  and  possesssing  the  mar- 
velous gift  of  prophecy  or  divination.  To  this 
expounder  of  mysteries  Alahor  applied  to  learn 
whether  any  secret  treason  menaced  his  safety. 

The  astrologer  listened  with  deep  attention  and 
overwhelming  brow  to  all  the  surmises  and  suspi- 
cion of  the  emir,  then  shut  himself  up  to  consult 
his  books  and  commune  with  those  supernatural 
intelligences  subservient  to  his  wisdom.  At  an 
appointed  hour  the  emir  sought  him  in  his  celU 
It  was  filled  with  the  smoke  of  perfumes  ;  squares 
and  circles  and  various  diagrams  were  described 
upon  the  floor,  and  the  astrologer  was  poring  over 
a  scroll  of  parchment,  covered  with  cabalistic  char- 
acters. He  received  Alahor  with  a  gloomy  and 
sinister  aspect ;  pretending  to  have  discovered 
fearful  portents  in  the  heavens,  and  to  have  had 
strange  dreams  and  mystic  visions. 

"  O  emir,"  said  he,  "  be  on  your  guard !  treason 
is  around  you  and  in  your  path ;  your  life  is  in 
peril.  Beware  of  Count  Julian  and  his  family." 

"  Enough,"  said  the  emir.  "  They  shall  all 
die  !  Parents  and  children  —  all  shall  die  !  " 

He  forthwith  sent  a  summons  to  Count  Julian 
to  attend  him  in  Cordova.  The  messenger  found 
him  plunged  in  affliction  for  the  recent  death  of 
his  daughter.  The  count  excused  himself,  on  ac- 
count of  this  misfortune,  from  obeying  the  com- 
mands of  the  emir  in  person,  but  sent  several  of 


COUNT  JULIAN  AND  HIS  FAMILY.     223 

his  adherents.  His  hesitation,  and  the  circum 
stance  of  his  having  sent  his  family  across  the 
straits  to  Africa,  were  construed  by  the  jealous 
mind  of  the  emir  into  proofs  of  guilt.  He  no 
longer  doubted  his  being  concerned  in  the  recent 
insurrections,  and  that  he  had  sent  his  family 
away  preparatory  to  an  attempt  by  force  of  arms, 
to  subvert  the  Moslem  domination.  In  his  fury 
he  put  to  death  Siseburto  and  Evan,  the  nephews 
of  Bishop  Oppas  and  sons  of  the  former  king,  Wi- 
tiza,  suspecting  them  of  taking  part  in  the  treason. 
Thus  did  they  expiate  their  treachery  to  their 
country  in  the  fatal  battle  of  the  Guadalete. 

Alahor  next  hastened  to  Carthagena  to  seize 
upon  Count  Julian.  So  rapid  were  his  move- 
ments that  the  count  had  barely  time  to  escape 
with  fifteen  cavaliers,  with  whom  he  took  refuge 
in  the  strong  castle  of  Marcuello,  among  the 
mountains  of  Aragon.  The  ernir,  enraged  to  be 
disappointed  of  his  prey,  embarked  at  Carthagena 
and  crossed  the  straits  to  Ceuta,  to  make  captives 
of  the  Countess  Frandina  and  her  son. 

The  old  chronicle  from  which  we  take  this  part 
of  our  legend,  presents  a  gloomy  picture  of  the 
countess  in  the  stern  fortress  to  which  she  had 
fled  for  refuge  —  a  picture  heightened  by  super- 
natural horrors.  These  latter  the  sagacious  rea- 
der will  admit  or  object  according  to  the  measure 
of  his  faith  and  judgment ;  always  remembering 
that  in  dark  and  eventful  times,  like  those  in 
question,  involving  the  destinies  of  nations,  the 
downfall  of  kingdoms,  and  the  crimes  of  rulers 
and  mighty  men,  the  hand  of  fate  is  sometimes 


224      COUNT  JULIAN  AND  HIS  FAMILY. 

Strangely  visible,  and  confounds  the  wisdom  of 
the  worldly  wise  by  intimations  and  portents 
above  the  ordinary  course  of  things.  With  this 
proviso,  we  make  no  scruple  to  follow  the  ven- 
erable chronicler  in  his  narration. 

Now  so  it  happened  that  the  Countess  Fran- 
dina  was  seated  late  at  night  in  her  chamber,  in 
the  citadel  of  Ceuta,  which  stands  on  a  lofty 
rock,  overlooking  the  sea.  She  was  revolving  in 
gloomy  thought  the  late  disasters  of  her  family, 
when  she  heard  a  mournful  noise  like  that  of 
the  sea-breeze  moaning  about  the  castle  walls. 
Raising  her  eyes,  she  beheld  her  brother,  the 
Bishop  Oppas,  at  the  entrance  of  the  chamber. 
She  advanced  to  embrace  him,  but  he  forbade 
her  with  a  motion  of  his  hand,  and  she  observed 
that  he  was  ghastly  pale,  and  that  his  eyes 
glared  as  with  lambent  flames. 

"  Touch  me  not,  sister,"  said  he,  with  a  mourn- 
ful voice,  "lest  thou  be  consumed  by  the  fire 
which  rages  within  me.  Guard  well  thy  son, 
for  bloodhounds  are  upon  his  track.  His  inno- 
cence might  have  secured  him  the  protection 
of  Heaven,  but  our  crimes  have  involved  him  in 
our  common  ruin."  He  ceased  to  speak,  and 
was  no  longer  to  be  seen.  His  coming  and 
going  were  alike  without  noise,  and  the  door  of 
the  chamber  remained  fast  bolted. 

On  the  following  morning  a  messenger  arrived 
with  tidings  that  the  Bishop  Oppas  had  been 
made  prisoner  in  battle  by  the  insurgent  Chris- 
tians of  the  Asturias,  and  had  died  in  fetters  in 
•.  tower  of  the  mountains.  The  same  messenger 


COUNT  JULIAN  AND  HIS  FAMILY.     225 

brought  word  that  the  Emir  Alahor  had  put  to 
death  several  of  the  friends  of  Count  Julian; 
had  obliged  him  to  fly  for  his  life  to  a  castle  in 
Aragon,  and  was  embarking  with  a  formidable 
force  for  Ceuta. 

The  Countess  Frandina,  as  has  already  been 
shown,  was  of  courageous  heart,  and  danger 
made  her  desperate.  There  were  fifty  Moorish 
soldiers  in  the  garrison ;  she  feared  that  they 
would  prove  treacherous,  and  take  part  with  their 
countrymen.  Summoning  her  officers,  therefore, 
she  informed  them  of  their  danger,  and  com- 
manded them  to  put  those  Moors  to  death.  The 
guards  sallied  forth  to  obey  her  orders.  Thirty- 
five  of  the  Moors  were  in  the  great  square,  un- 
suspicious of  any  danger,  when  they  were  sever- 
ally singled  out  by  their  executioners,  and,  at  a 
concerted  signal,  killed  on  the  spot.  The  re- 
maining fifteen  took  refuge  in  a  tower.  They 
saw  the  armada  of  the  emir  at  a  distance,  and 
hoped  to  be  able  to  hold  out  until  its  arrival. 
The  soldiers  of  the  countess  saw  it  also,  and 
made  extraordinary  efforts  to  destroy  these  inter- 
nal enemies  before  they  should  be  attacked  from 
without.  They  made  repeated  attempts  to  storm 
the  tower,  but  were  as  often  repulsed  with  severe 
loss.  They  then  undermined  it,  supporting  its 
foundations  by  stanchions  of  wood.  To  these 
they  set  fire,  and  withdrew  to  a  distance,  keeping 
up  a  constant  shower  of  missiles  to  prevent  the 
Moors  from  sallying  forth  to  extinguish  the 
flames.  The  stanchions  were  rapidly  consumed, 
and  when  they  gave  way  the  tower  fell  to  the 
15 


226      COUNT  JULIAN  AND  HIS  IAMIL7. 

ground.  Some  of  the  Moors  were  crushed 
among  the  ruins ;  others  were  flung  to  a  distance 
and  dashed  among  the  rocks ;  those  who  survived 
were  instantly  put  to  the  sword. 

The  fleet  of  the  emir  arrived  at  Ceuta  about 
the  hour  of  vespers.  He  landed,  but  found  the 
gates  closed  against  him.  The  countess  herself 
spoke  to  him  from  a  tower,  and  set  him  at  defi- 
ance. The  emir  immediately  lay  siege  to  the 
city.  He  consulted  the  astrologer  Yuza,  who 
told  him  that  for  seven  days  his  star  would  have 
the  ascendant  over  that  of  the  youth  Alarbot, 
but  after  that  time  the  youth  would  be  safe  from 
his  power,  and  would  effect  his  ruin. 

Alahor  immediately  ordered  the  city  to  be 
assailed  on  every  side,  and  at  length  carried  it 
by  storm.  The  countess  took  refuge  with  her 
forces  in  the  citadel,  and  made  desperate  defense ; 
but  the  walls  were  sapped  and  mined,  and  she 
saw  that  all  resistance  would  soon  be  unavailing. 
Her  only  thoughts  now  were  to  conceal  her 
child.  u  Surely,"  said  she,  "  they  will  not  think 
of  seeking  him  among  the  dead."  She  led  him, 
therefore,  into  the  dark  and  dismal  chapel." 
'*  Thou  art  not  afraid  to  be  alone  in  this  dark- 
ness, my  child  ?  "  said  she. 

"No,  mother,"  replied  the  boy;  "darkness 
gives  silence  and  sleep."  She  conducted  him  to 
the  tomb  of  Florinda.  "  Fearest  thou  the  dead, 
my  child  ?  "  "  No,  mother ;  the  dead  can  do  no 
harm,  and  what  should  I  fear  from  my  sister  ?  " 

The  countess  opened  the  sepulchre.  "  Listen, 
my  son,"  said  she.  "  Tljere  are  fierce  and  cruel 


COUNT  JULIAN  AND  HIS  FAMILY.     227 

people  who  have  come  hither  to  murder  thee. 
Stay  here  in  company  with  thy  sister,  and  bo 
quiet  as  thou  dost  value  thy  life ! "  The  boy, 
who  was  of  a  courageous  nature,  did  as  he  was 
bidden,  and  remained  there  all  that  day,  and  all 
the  night,  and  the  next  day  until  the  third  hour. 

In  the  mean  time  the  walls  of  the  citadel  were 
sapped,  the  troops  of  the  emir  poured  in  at  the 
breach,  and  a  great  part  of  the  garrison  was  put 
to  the  sword.  The  countess  was  taken  prisoner, 
and  brought  before  the  emir.  She  appeared  in 
his  presence  with  a  haughty  demeanor,  as  if  she 
had  been  a  queen  receiving  homage ;  but  when 
he  demanded  her  son,  she  faltered  and  turned 
pale,  and  replied,  "My  son  is  with  the  dead." 

**  Countess,"  said  the  emir,  "  I  am  not  to  be 
deceived ;  tell  me  where  you  have  concealed  the 
boy,  or  tortures  shall  wring  from  you  the  secret." 

"  Emir,"  replied  the  countess,  "  may  the  great- 
est torments  be  my  portion,  both  here  and  here- 
after, if  what  I  speak  be  not  the  truth.  My 
darling  child  lies  buried  with  the  dead." 

The  emir  was  confounded  by  the  solemnity  of 
her  words;  but  the  withered  astrologer  Yuza7 
who  stood  by  his  side  regarding  the  co,untess 
from  beneath  his  bushed  eyebrows,  perceived 
trouble  in  her  countenance  and  equivocation  in 
her  words.  "Leave  this  matter  to  me,"  whis- 
pered he  to  Alahor ;  "  I  will  produce  the  child." 

He  ordered  strict  search  to  be  made  by  the 
soldiery,  and  he  obliged  the  countess  to  be 
always  present.  When  they  came  to  the  chapel, 
her  cheek  turned  pale  and  her  lip  quivered. 


228      COUNT  JULIAN  AND  H13  FAMILY. 

"This,"  said  the  subtile  astrologer,  "is  the  place 
of  concealment ! " 

The  search  throughout  the  chapel,  however, 
was  equally  vain,  and  the  soldiers  were  about  to 
depart,  when  Yuza  remarked  a  slight  gleam  of 
joy  in  the  eye  of  the  countess.  "  We  are  leav- 
ing our  prey  behind,"  thought  he ;  "  the  countess 
IB  exulting." 

He  now  called  to  mind  the  words  of  her  as- 
severation, that  her  child  was  with  the  dead. 
Turning  suddenly  to  the  soldiers,  he  ordered 
them  to  search  the  sepulchres.  "If  you  find 
him  not,"  said  he,  "  drag  forth  the  bones  of  that 
wanton  Cava,  that  they  may  be  burned,  and  the 
ashes  scattered  to  the  winds." 

The  soldiers  searched  among  the  tombs,  and 
found  that  of  Florinda  partly  open.  Within  lay 
the  boy  in  the  sound  sleep  of  childhood,  and  one 
of  the  soldiers  took  him  gently  in  his  arms  to 
bear  him  to  the  emir. 

When  the  countess  beheld  that  her  child  was 
discovered,  she  rushed  into  the  presence  of  Alahor, 
and,  forgetting  all  her  pride,  threw  herself  upon 
her  knees  before  him. 

"  Mercy  !  mercy ! "  cried  she  in  piercing  accents, 
"  mercy  on  my  son  —  my  only  child  !  O  emir ! 
listen  to  a  mother's  prayer  and  my  lips  shall  kiss 
thy  feet.  As  thou  art  merciful  to  him  so  may 
the  most  high  God  have  mercy  upon  thee,  and 
heap  blessings  on  thy  head." 

"  Bear  that  frantic  woman  hence,"  said  the 
smir,  "  but  guard  her  well." 

The  countess  was  dragged  away  by  the  soldiery, 


COUNT  JULIAN  AND  HIS  FAMILY.      229 

without  regard  to  her  struggles  and  her  cries,  and 
confined  in  a  dungeon  of  the  citadel. 

The  child  was  now  brought  to  the  emir.  He 
had  been  awakened  by  the  tumult,  but  gazed 
fearlessly  on  the  stern  countenances  of  the  soldiers. 
Had  the  heart  of  the  emir  been  capable  of  pity, 
it  would  have  been  touched  by  the  tender  youth 
and  innocent  beauty  of  the  child  ;  but  his  heart 
was  as  the  nether  millstone,  and  he  was  bent  upon 
the  destruction  of  the  whole  family  of  Julian. 
Calling  to  him  the  astrologer,  he  gave  the  child 
into  his  charge  with  a  secret  command.  The 
withered  son  of  the  desert  took  the  boy  by  the 
hand  and  led  him  up  the  winding  staircase  of  a 
tower.  When  they  reached  the  summit,  Yuza 
placed  him  on  the  battlements. 

"  Cling  not  to  me,  my  child,"  said  he  ;  "  there 
is  no  danger."  "  Father,  I  fear  not,"  said  the 
undaunted  boy  ;  "  yet  it  is  a  wondrous  height !  " 

The  child  looked  around  with  delighted  eyes. 
The  breeze  blew  his  curling  locks  from  about  his 
face,  and  his  cheek  glowed  at  the  boundless  pros- 
pect ;  for  the  tower  was  reared  upon  that  lofty 
promontory  on  which  Hercules  founded  one  of 
his  pillars.  The  surges  of  the  sea  were  heard 
far  below,  beating  upon  the  rocks,  the  sea-gull 
screamed  and  wheeled  about  the  foundations  of 
the  tower,  and  the  sails  of  lofty  caraccas  were  aa 
mere  specks  on  the  bosom  of  the  deep. 

"  Dost  thou  know  yonder  land  beyond  the  blue 
water  ?  "  said  Yuza. 

"  It  is  Spain,"  replied  the  boy  ;  "  it  is  the  laii  1 
»f  my  father  and  my  mother." 


230      COUNT  JULIAN  AND  HIS  FAMILY. 

"  Then  stretch  forth  thy  hands  and  bless  it,  my 
child,"  said  the  astrologer. 

The  boy  let  go  his  hold  of  the  wall ;  and,  as 
he  stretched  forth  his  hands,  the  aged  son  of 
Ishmael,  exerting  all  the  strength  of  his  withered 
limbs,  suddenly  pushed  him  over  the  battlements. 
He  fell  headlong  from  the  top  of  that  tall  tower, 
and  not  a  bone  in  his  tender  frame  but  was  crushed 
upon  the  rocks  beneath. 

Alahor  came  to  the  foot  of  the  winding  stairs. 

*'  Is  the  boy  safe  ?  "  cried  he. 

"  He  is  safe,"  replied  Yuza ;  "  come  and  be- 
hold the  truth  with  thine  own  eyes." 

The  emir  ascended  the  tower  and  looked  over 
the  battlements,  and  beheld  the  body  of  the  child, 
a  shapeless  mass  on  the  rocks  far  below,  and  the 
sea-gulls  hovering  about  it ;  and  he  gave  orders 
that  it  should  be  thrown  into  the  sea,  which  was 
done. 

On  the  following  morning  the  countess  was  led 
forth  from  her  dungeon  into  the  public  square. 
She  knew  of  the  death  of  her  child,  and  that  her 
own  death  was  at  hand,  but  she  neither  wept  nor 
supplicated.  Her  hair  was  disheveled,  her  eyes 
were  haggard  with  watching,  and  her  cheek  was 
as  the  monumental  stone ;  but  there  were  the  re- 
mains of  commanding  beauty  in  her  countenance 
and  the  majesty  of  her  presence  awed  even  the 
rabble  into  respect. 

A  multitude  of  Christian  prisoners  were  then 
brought  forth,  and  Alahor  cried  out :  "  Behold  the 
wife  of  Count  Julian  !  behold  one  of  that  traitorous 
family  which  has  brought  ruin  upon  yourselves 


COUNT  JULIAN  AND  H.S  FAMILY.     231 

and  upon  your  country  ! "  And  he  ordered  that 
they  should  stone  her  to  death.  But  the  Chris- 
tians drew  back  with  horror  from  the  deed,  and 
said,  "  In  the  hand  of  God  is  vengeance  ;  let  not 
her  blood  be  upon  our  heads.'*  Upon  this  the  emir 
swore  with  horrid  imprecations  that  whoever  of 
the  captives  refused  should  himself  be  stoned  to 
death.  So  the  cruel  order  was  executed,  and  the 
Countess  Frandina  perished  by  the  hands  of  her 
countrymen.  Having  thus  accomplished  his  bar- 
barous errand,  the  emir  embarked  for  Spain,  and 
ordered  the  citadel  of  Cetita  to  be  set  on  fire, 
and  crossed  the  straits  at  night  by  the  light  of  its 
towering  flames. 

The  death  of  Count  Julian,  which  took  place 
not  long  after,  closed  the  tragic  story  of  his  family. 
How  he  died  remains  involved  in  doubt.  Some 
assert  that  the  cruel  Alahor  pursued  him  to  his 
retreat  among  the  mountains,  and,  having  taken 
him  prisoner,  beheaded  him ;  others  that  the 
Moors  confined  him  in  a  dungeon,  and  put  an  end 
to  his  life  with  lingering  torments ;  while  others 
affirm  that  the  tower  of  the  castle  of  Marcuello, 
near  Huesca,  in  Aragon,  in  which  he  took  refuge, 
fell  on  him  and  crushed  him  to  pieces.  All  agree 
that  his  latter  end  was  miserable  in  the  extreme 
and  his  death  violent.  The  curse  of  Heaven, 
which  had  thus  pursued  him  to  the  grave,  was 
extended  to  the  very  place  which  had  given  him 
shelter ;  for  we  are  told  that  the  castle  is  no  longer 
inhabited  on  account  of  the  strange  and  horrible 
noises  that  are  heard  in  it ;  and  that  visions  of 
armed  men  are  seen  above  it  in  the  air  ;  which 


232      COUNT  JULIAN  AND  HIS  FAMILY. 

are  supposed  to  be  the  troubled  spirits  of  the 
apostate  Christians  who  favored  the  cause  of  the 
traitor. 

In  after  times  a  stone  sepulchre  was  shown, 
outside  of  the  chapel  of  the  castle,  as  the  tomb 
of  Count  Julian  ;  but  the  traveller  and  the  pilgrim 
avoided  it,  or  bestowed  upon  it  a  malediction  ; 
and  the  name  of  Julian  has  remained  a  by-word 
and  a  scorn  in  the  land  for  the  warning  of  all 
generations.  Such  ever  be  the  lot  of  him  who 
betrays  his  country. 

Here  end  the  legends  of  the  Conquest  of 
Spain. 

WRITTEN  IN  THE  ALHAMBRA,  June  10, 3829. 


NOTE  TO  THE  PRECEDING  LEGEND. 


EL  licenciado  Ardevines  (lib.  2,  c.  8)  dize  que 
dichos  Duendos  caseros,  o  los  del  aire,  hazen  aparacer 
exercitos  y  peleas,  como  lo  que  se  cuenta  por  tradicion 
(y  aun  algunos  personas  lo  deponen  como  testigos  de 
vista)  de  la  torre  y  castcllo  de  Marcuello,  lugar  al 
pie  de  las  montanas  de  Aragon  (aora  inhabitable,  por 
las  grandes  y  espantables  ruidos,  que  en  el  se  oyen) 
donde  se  retraxo  el  Conde  Don  Julian,  causa  de  la 
perdicion  de  Espafia ;  sobre  el  qual  castillo,  deze  se 
ven  en  el  aire  ciertas  visiones,  como  de  soldados,  que 
el  vulgo  dke  son  los  cavalleros  y  gente  que  le  favor- 
ecian. 


COUNT  JULIAN  AND  HIS  FAMILY.     233 

Vide  "  El  Ente  Dislucidado,"  por  Fray  Antonio  de 
Fuentalapefia,  Capuchin.  Seccion  3,  Subseccion  5, 
Instancia  8,  Num.  644. 

As  readers  unversed  in  the  Spanish  language  may 
wish  to  know  the  testimony  of  the  worthy  and  dis- 
creet Capuchin  friar,  Antonio  de  Fuentalapefia,  wo 
subjoin  a  translation  of  it :  — 

"  The  licentiate  Ardevines  (book  ii.,  chap.  8)  says 
that  the  said  house  fames  (or  familiar  spirits),  or 
those  of  the  ah-,  cause  the  apparitions  of  armies  and 
battles,  —  such  as  those  which  are  related  in  tradition 
(and  some  persons  even  depose  to  the  truth  of  them 
as  eye-witnesses),  of  the  town  and  castle  of  Marcuello, 
a  fortress  at  the  foot  of  the  mountains  of  Aragon  (at 
present  uninhabitable,  on  account  of  the  great  and 
frightful  noises  heard  in  it),  the  place  of  retreat  of 
Count  Don  Julian,  the  cause  of  the  perdition  of 
Spain.  It  is  said  that  certain  apparitions  of  soldiers 
are  seen  in  the  ah*,  which  the  vulgar  say  are  those 
of  the  courtiers  and  people  who  aided  him." 


I 


THE  LEGEND   OF   PELAYO. 


[THE  "  Legend  of  Pelayo,"  a  fragment  of  which  was  printed 
ia  "  The  Spirit  of  the  Fair,"  in  1864,  and  another,  entitled 
"  Pelajo  and  the  Merchant's  Daughter,"  in  "  The  Knicker- 
b>cker,"  in  1840,  is  now  first  published  entire.  - 


THE   LEGEND  OF  PELAYO- 


CHAPTER  I. 

Obscurity  of  the  Ancient  Chronicles.  —  The  Loves  of  Dona 
Lucia  and  the  Duke  Favila.  —  Birth  of  Pelayo,  and  what 
happened  thereupon;  His  Early  Fortunes,  and  His  Tute- 
lage under  the  veteran  Count  Grafeses. 

IT  is  the  common  lamentation  of  Spanish 
historians  that,  in  the  obscure  and  mel- 
ancholy space  of  time  which  succeeded 
the  perdition  of  their  country,  its  history  is  a 
mere  wilderness  of  dubious  facts,  wild  exaggera- 
tions, and  evident  fables.  Many  learned  men  in 
cells  and  cloisters  have  passed  their  lives  in  the 
weary  and  fruitless  task  of  attempting  to  correct 
incongruous  events  and  reconcile  absolute  contra- 
dictions. The  worthy  Jesuit  Pedro  Abarca  con- 
fesses that  for  more  than  forty  years,  during 
which  he  had  been  employed  in  theological  con- 
troversies, he  had  never  found  any  questions  so 
obscure  and  inexplicable  as  those  rising  out  of 
this  portion  of  Spanish  history ;  and  that  the 
only  fruit  of  an  indefatigable,  prolix,  and  even 
prodigious  study  of  the  subject,  was  a  melan- 
choly and  mortifying  indecision.1 

1  Aharca,  Andes  de  Aragon.    Ante  regno,  §  2. 


238      TEE  LEGEND  OF  PELATO. 

Let  us  console  ourselves,  therefore,  in  our 
attempts  to  thread  this  mazy  labyrinth  with  the 
reflection  that,  if  we  occasionally  err  and  become 
bewildered,  we  do  but  share  the  errors  and  per- 
plexities of  our  graver  and  more  laborious  pre- 
decessors ;  and  that,  if  we  occasionally  stray  into 
the  flowery  by-ways  of  fanciful  tradition,  we  are 
as  likely  to  arrive  at  the  truth  as  those  who 
travel  by  more  dry  and  dusty  but  not  more  au- 
thenticated paths. 

We  premise  these  suggestions  before  proceed- 
ing to  cull,  from  the  midst  of  the  fables  and  ex- 
travagances of  ancient  chronicles,  a  few  particu- 
lars of  the  story  of  Pelayo,  the  deliverer  of 
Spain  ;  whose  name,  like  that  of  William  Wal- 
lace, the  hero  of  Scotland,  will  ever  be  linked 
with  the  glory  of  his  country ;  but  linked,  like 
his,  by  a  band  in  which  fact  and  fiction  are 
indissolubly  mingled. 

In  the  ensuing  pages  it  is  our  intention  to 
give  little  more  than  an  abstract  of  an  old  chron- 
icle teeming  with  extravagances,  yet  containing 
^  facts  of  admitted  credibility,  and  presenting  pic- 
tures of  Spanish  life,  partly  sylvan,  partly  chival- 
rous, which  have  all  the  quaint  merit  of  the 
curious  delineations  in  old  tapestry. 

The  origin  of  Pelayo  is  wrapped  in  great 
obscurity,  though  all  writers  concur  in  making 
him  of  royal  Gothic  lineage.  The  chronicle  in 
question  makes  Pelayo  the  offspring  of  a  love 
affair  in  the  court  of  Ezica,  one  of  the  last  of 
the  Gothic  kings,  who  held  his  seat  of  govern- 
ment at  Toledo.  Among  the  noble  damsels 


THE  LEGEND   OF  PELAYO.  239 

brought  up  in  the  royal  household  was  the  beau- 
tiful Lucia,  niece  and  maid  of  honor  to  the  queen 
A  mutual  passion  subsisted  between  her  and 
Favila,  the  youthful  Duke  of  Cantabria,  one  of 
the  most  accomplished  cavaliers  of  the  kingdom. 
The  duke,  however,  had  a  powerful  rival  in  the 
Prince  Witiza,  son  to  the  king,  and  afterwards 
known,  for  the  profligacy  of  his  reign,  by  the 
name,of  Witiza  the  Wicked.  The  prince,  to  rid 
himself  of  a  favored  rival,  procured  the  banish- 
ment of  Favila  to  his  estates  in  Cantabria ;  not, 
however,  before  he  had  been  happy  in  his  loves 
in  stolen  interviews  with  the  fair  Lucia.  The 
cautious  chronicler,  however,  lets  us  know  that  a 
kind  of  espousal  took  place,  by  the  lovers  plight- 
ing their  faith  with  solemn  vows  before  an  image 
of  the  Virgin,  and  as  the  image  gave  no  sign  of 
dissent  by  way  of  forbidding  the  bans,  the  wor- 
thy chronicler  seems  to  consider  them  as  good  as 
man  and  wife. 

After  the  departure  of  the  duke,  the  prince 
renewed  his  suit  with  stronger  hope  of  success, 
but  met  with  a  repulse  which  converted  his  love 
into  implacable  and  vengeful  hate. 

The  beautiful  Lucia  continued  in  attendance 
on  the  queen,  but  soon  became  sensible  of  the 
consequences  of  her  secret  and  informal  nuptials 
so  tacitly  sanctioned  by  the  Virgin.  In  the  pro- 
cess of  time,  with  great  secrecy,  she  gave  birth 
to  a  male  child,  whom  she  named  Pelayo.  For 
fifteen  days  the  infant  was  concealed  in  her 
apartment,  and  she  trusted  all  was  safe,  when,  to 
her  great  terror,  she  learned  that  her  secret  had 


If 40  THE  LEGEND   OF  PELAYV. 

been  betrayed  to  Prince  Witiza,  and  that  search 
was  to  be  made  for  the  evidence  of  her  weakness. 
The  dread  of  public  scorn  and  menace  of  a 
cruel  death  overcame  even  the  feelings  of  a 
mother.  Through  means  of  a  trusty  female  of 
her  chamber  she  procured  a  little  ark,  so  con- 
structed as  to  be  impervious  to  water.  She  then 
arrayed  her  infant  in  costly  garments,  wrapping 
it  in  a  mantle  of  rich  brocade,  and  when  about 
to  part  with  it,  kissed  it  many  times,  and  laid  it 
in  her  lap,  and  wept  over  it.  At  length  the 
child  was  borne  away  by  the  Duena  of  her 
chamber  and  a  faithful  handmaid.  It  was  dark 
midnight  when  they  conveyed  it  to  the  borders 
of  the  Tagus,  where  it  washes  the  rocky  founda- 
tions of  Toledo.  Covering  it  from  the  dew  and 
night  air,  they  committed  the  ark  to  the  eddying 
current,  which  soon  swept  it  from  the  shore.  As 
it  glided  down  the  rapid  stream,  says  the  ancient 
chronicle,  they  could  mark  its  course  even  in  the 
darkness  of  the  night ;  for  it  was  surrounded  by 
•a  halo  of  celestial  light.1  They  knew  not  how 
to  account  for  this  prodigy,  says  the  same  authen- 
tic writer,  until  they  remembered  that  the  mother 
had  blessed  the  child  with  the  sign  of  the  cross, 
and  had  baptized  it  with  her  own  hand.  Others, 
however,  explain  this  marvel  differently ;  for  in 
this  child,  say  they,  was  centred  the  miraculous 
light  which  was  afterwards  to  shine  forth  with 
comfort  and  deliverance  in  the  darkest  hour  of 
Spain. 

1  El  Moro  Basis,  La  Destniydon  de  Espaiia.     Rojas,  Hist. 
Toledo,  pt.  2,  L.  4,  el. 


THE  LEGEND  OF  PELAYO.      241 

The  chronicle  quoted  by  Fray  Antonio  Aga- 
pida  goes  on  to  state  what  befell  the  fair  Lucia 
after  the  departure  of  the  child.  Her  apart- 
ments were  searched  at  early  dawn,  but  no  proof 
appeared  to  substantiate  the  charges  made  against 
her.  The  Prince  Witiza  persisted  in  accusing 
her  publicly  of  having  brought  disgrace  upon  her 
line  by  her  frailty.  A  cavalier  of  the  court, 
suborned  by  him,  supported  the  accusation  by  an 
oath,  and  offered  to  maintain  the  truth  of  it  by 
his  sword.  A  month  was  granted  by  the  king 
for  the  afflicted  lady  to  find  a  champion,  and  a 
day  appointed  for  the  lists ;  if  none  appeared,  or 
if  her  champion  were  overcome,  she  was  to  be 
considered  guilty  and  put  to  death.  The  day 
arrived,  the  accusing  knight  was  on  the  ground 
in  complete  armor,  proclamation  was  made,  but 
no  one  stepped  forward  to  defend  the  lady.  At 
length  a  trumpet  sounded;  an  unknown  knight, 
with  visor  closed,  entered  the  lists.  The  combat 
was  long  and  doubtful,  for  it  would  appear  as  if 
the  Holy  Virgin  was  not  perfectly  satisfied  with 
the  nature  of  the  espousals  which  had  taken 
place  before  her  image.  At  length  the  accusing 
knight  was  overcome  and  slain,  to  the  great  joy 
of  the  court  and  all  the  spectators,  and  the  beau- 
tiful Lucia  was  pronounced  as  immaculate  as  the 
Virgin,  her  protectress. 

The  unknown  champion  of  course  proved  to  be 
the  Duke  of  Cantabria.  He  obtained  a  pardon 
of  the  king  for  returning  from  banishment  with- 
out the  royal  permission  ;  what  is  more,  he  ob- 
tained permission  formally  to  espouse  the  ladv 
16 


5*42  THE  LEGEND   OF  PELAYO. 

whose  honor  he  had  so  gallantly  established. 
Their  nuptials  were  solemnized  in  due  form  and 
with  great  magnificence,  after  which  he  took  his 
blooming  bride  to  his  castle  in  Cantabria,  to  be 
out  of  reach  of  the  persecutions  of  the  Prince 
Witiza. 

Having  made  this  brief  abstract  of  what  occu- 
pies many  a  wordy  page  in  the  ancient  chronicle, 
we  return  to  look  after  the  fortunes  of  the  infant 
Pelayo,  when  launched  upon  the  waves  in  the 
darkness  of  the  night. 

The  ark  containing  this  future  hope  of  Spain, 
continues  the  old  chronicle,  floated  down  the  cur- 
rent of  the  Golden  Tagus,  where  that  renowned 
river  winds  through  the  sylvan  solitudes  of  Estre- 
madura.  All  night,  and  throughout  the  succeeding 
day  and  the  following  night,  it  made  its  tran- 
quil way  :  the  stream  ceased  its  wonted  turbu- 
lence and  dimpled  round  it ;  the  swallow  circled 
round  it  with  lively  chirp  and  sportive  wing,  the 
breezes  whispered  musically  among  the  reeds, 
which  bowed  their  tall  heads  as  it  passed  ;  such 
was  the  bland  influence  of  the  protection  of  the 
Virgin. 

Now,  so  it  happened  that  at  this  time  there 
lived  in  a  remote  part  of  Estreraadura  an  ancient 
cavalier,  a  hale  and  hearty  bachelor,  named  the 
Count  Grafeses.  He  had  been  a  warrior  in  his 
youth,  but  now,  in  a  green  and  vigorous  old  age, 
had  retired  from  camp  and  court  to  a  domain  on 
the  banks  of  the  Tagus,  inherited  from  his  Gothic 
ancestors.  His  great  delight  was  in  the  chase, 
which  he  followed  successfully  in  the  vast  forests 


THE  LEGEND   OF  PEL  AY  0.  243 

Df  Estremadura.  Every  morning  heard  the 
woods  resounding  with  the  melody  of  hound  and 
horn ;  and  the  heads  of  stags,  of  wolves,  and  wild 
boars  vied  in  his  castle  hall  with  the  helms  and 
bucklers  and  lances,  and  the  trophies  of  his  youth- 
ful and  martial  days. 

The  jovial  count  was  up  at  early  dawn  pursu- 
ing a  boar  in  the  thick  forest  bordering  the 
Tagus,  when  he  beheld  the  little  ark  floating 
down  the  stream.  He  ordered  one  of  his  hunts- 
men to  strip  and  enter  the  river  and  bring  the 
ark  to  land.  On  opening  it,  he  was  surprised  to 
behold  within  an  infant  wrapped  in  costly  robes, 
but  pale  and  wan,  and  apparently  almost  ex- 
hausted. Beside  it  was  a  purse  of  gold,  and  on 
its  bosom  a  cross  of  rubies  and  a  parchment  scroll, 
on  which  was  written,  "  Let  this  infant  be  honor- 
ably entertained ;  he  is  of  illustrious  lineage ;  his 
name  is  Pelayo." 

The  good  count  shrewdly  surmised  the  cause 
of  this  perilous  exposure  of  a  helpless  infant.  He 
had  a  heart  kind  and  indulgent  toward  the 
weaker  sex,  as  the  heart  of  a  genial  old  bachelor 
is  prone  to  be  ;  and  while  he  looked  with  infinite 
benevolence  upon  the  beauteous  child,  felt  a  glow 
of  compassion  for  the  unknown  mother.  Com- 
manding his  huntsman  to  be  silent  as  to  what  he 
had  witnessed,  he  took  the  infant  in  his  arms  and 
returned  with  it  to  his  castle. 

Now,  so  it  happened  that  the  wife  of  his  stew- 
ard had,  about  a  week  before,  been  delivered  of  a 
child  which  lived  out  a  very  few  days,  leaving 
the  mother  in  great  affliction.  The  count  gave 


244  THE  LEGEND   OF  PELAYO. 

her  the  infant,  and  the  money  found  witli  it,  and 
told  her  the  story  of  the  ark,  with  a  strong  injunc- 
tion of  secrecy,  entreating  her  to  take  charge  of 
the  child  and  rear  it  as  her  own.  The  good  wo- 
man doubted  the  story,  and  strongly  suspected 
her  master  of  having  fallen  into  an  error  in  his 
old  age ;  she  received  the  infant,  however,  as  a 
gift  from  Heaven,  sent  to  console  her  in  her  afflic- 
tion, and  pressed  it  with  tears  to  her  bosom,  for 
she  thought  of  the  child  she  had  lost. 

Pelayo,  therefore,  was  reared  on  the  banks  of 
the  Tagus  as  the  offspring  of  the  steward  and 
his  wife,  and  the  adopted  son  of  the  count.  That 
veteran  cavalier  bore  in  mind,  however,  that  his 
youthful  charge  was  of  illustrious  lineage,  and 
took  delight  in  accomplishing  him  in  all  things 
befitting  a  perfect  hidalgo.  He  placed  him  astride 
of  a  horse  almost  as  soon  as  he  could  walk ;  a 
lance  and  cross-bow  were  his  earliest  playthings, 
and  he  was  taught  to  hunt  the  small  game  of  the 
forest  until  strong  enough  to  accompany  the  count 
in  his  more  rugged  sports.  Thus  he  was  inured 
to  all  kinds  of  hardy  exercises,  and  rendered 
heedless  of  danger  and  fatigue.  Nor  was 
the  discipline  of  his  mind  neglected.  Under  the 
instructions  of  a  neighboring  friar,  he  learned  to 
read  in  a  manner  that  surprised  the  erudition  of 
his  foster-father ;  for  he  could  con  more  correctly 
all  the  orisons  of  the  Virgin,  and  listened  to  mass, 
and  attended  all  the  ceremonies  of  the  Church, 
with  a  discretion  truly  exemplary.  Some  ancient 
chroniclers  have  gone  so  far  as  to  say  that  he  even 
excelled  in  clerkly  cnift  ;  but  this  is  most  likely  a 
fond  exaggeration. 


THE  LEGEND   OF  PELATO.  245 

Time  glided  by.  King  Ezica  was  gathered  to 
his  fathers,  and  his  son  Witiza  reigned  in  hia 
stead.  All  the  chivalry  of  the  kingdom  was  sum- 
moned to  Toledo  to  give  splendor  to  his  corona- 
tion. The  good  old  count  prepared,  among  the 
rest,  to  appear  at  a  court  from  which  he  had  long 
been  absent.  His  ancient  serving-men  were  ar- 
rayed in  the  antiquated  garbs  in  which  they  had 
figured  in  his  days  of  youthful  gallantry,  and  his 
household  troops  in  the  battered  armor  which  had 
seen  hard  service  in  the  field,  but  which  had  long 
rusted  in  the  armory.  He  determined  to  take 
with  him  his  adopted  son  Pelayo,  now  seven  years 
of  age.  A  surcoat  was  made  for  him  from  the 
mantle  of  rich  brocade  in  which  he  had  been 
found  wrapped  in  the  ark.  A  palfrey  was  also 
caparisoned  for  him  in  warlike  style.  It,  was  a 
rare  sight,  says  the  old  chronicler,  to  see  the  anti- 
quated chivalry  of  the  good  Count  Grafeses  parad- 
ing across  the  bridge  of  the  Tagus,  or  figuring  in 
the  streets  of  Toledo,  in  contrast  to  the  silken  and 
Bhining  retinues  of  the  more  modern  courtiers  ; 
but  the  veteran  was  hailed  with  joy  by  many  of 
the  ancient  nobles,  his  early  companions  in  arms. 
The  populace,  too,  when  they  beheld  the  youthful 
Pelayo  ambling  by  his  side  on  his  gentle  palfrey, 
were  struck  with  the  chivalrous  demeanor  of  the 
boy,  and  the  perfect  manner  in  which  he  managed 
his  steed. 


CHAPTER  II. 

What  happened  to  Pelayo  at  the  Court  of  Witiza. 

jMONG  the  nobles,  continues  the  old 
chronicle,  who  appeared  in  Toledo  to 
do  homage  to  the  new  king  was  Favila, 
Duke  of  Cantabria.  He  left  his  wife  in  their 
castle  among  the  mountains,  —  for  the  fair  Lucia 
was  still  in  the  meridian  of  her  beauty,  and  he 
feared  lest  the  sight  of  her  might  revive  the 
passion  of  Witiza.  They  had  no  other  fruit  of 
their  union  but  a  little  daughter  of  great  beauty, 
called  Lucinda,  and  they  still  mourned  in  secret 
the  loss  of  their  first-born.  The  duke  was  re- 
lated to  Count  Grafeses  ;  and  when  he  first  beheld 
Pelayo  his  heart  throbbed,  he  knew  not  why,  and 
he  followed  him  with  his  eyes  in  all  his  youthful 
sports.  The  more  he  beheld  him  the  more  his 
heart  yearned  toward  him,  and  he  entreated  the 
count  to  grant  him  the  youth  for  a  time  as  a 
page,  to  be  reared  by  him  in  all  the  offices  of 
chivalry,  as  was  the  custom  in  the  houses  of 
warlike  nobles  in  those  days. 

The  count  willingly  complied  with  his  request, 
knowing  the  great  prowess  of  the  Duke  of  Can- 
tabria, who  was  accounted  a  mirror  of  knightly 
virtue.  "  For  my  own  part,"  said  he,  "I  am  at 
present  but  little  capable  of  instructing  the  boy ; 


THE  LEGEND   OF  PELAYO.  247 

for  many  years  have  passed  since  I  gave  up  the 
exercise  of  arms,  and  little  am  I  worth  at  present 
excepting  to  blow  the  horn  and  follow  the  hound." 

When  the  ceremonies  of  the  coronation  were 
over,  therefore,  the  Duke  of  Cantabria  departed 
for  his  castle,  accompanied  by  the  young  Pelayo 
and  the  count,  for  the  good  old  cavalier  could  not 
yet  tear  himself  from  his  adopted  child. 

As  they  drew  near  the  castle,  the  duchess 
came  forth  with  a  grand  retinue ;  for  they  were 
as  petty  sovereigns  in  their  domains.  The  duke 
presented  Pelayo  to  her  as  her  page,  and  the 
youth  knelt  to  kiss  her  hand,  but  she  raised  him 
and  kissed  him  on  the  forehead  ;  and  as  she  re- 
garded him  the  tears  stood  in  her  eyes. 

"  God  bless  thee,  gentle  page,"  said  she,  "  and 
preserve  thee  to  the  days  of  manhood  ;  for  thou 
hast  in  thee  the  promise  of  an  accomplished  cava- 
lier ;  joyful  must  be  the  heart  of  the  mother*  who 
can  boast  of  such  a  son  !  " 

On  that  day,  when  the  dinner  was  served  with 
becoming  state,  Pelayo  took  his  place  among  the 
other  pages  in  attendance,  who  were  all  childreu 
of  nobles ;  but  the  duchess  called  him  to  her  as 
her  peculiar  page.  He  was  arrayed  in  his  sur- 
coat  of  brocade,  made  from  the  mantle  in  which 
he  had  been  folded  in  the  ark,  and  round  his  neck 
hung  the  cross  of  rubies. 

As  the  duchess  beheld  these  things,  she  turned 
pale  and  trembled.  "  What  is  the  name  of 
thy  son,"  said  she  to  Count  Grafeses.  "  His 
name,"  replied  the  count,  "  is  Pelayo."  "  Tell 
•ne  of  a  truth,"  demanded  she,  still  more  earn- 


248  THE  LEGEND   OF  PEL  AT  0. 

estly,  "  is  this  indeed  thy  son  ?  "  The  count  was 
not  prepared  for  so  direct  a  question.  "  Of  a 
truth,"  said  he,  "  he  is  but  the  son  of  my  adop- 
tion j  yet  is  he  of  noble  lineage."  The  duchess 
again  addressed  him  with  tenfold  solemnity.  "  On 
thy  honor  as  a  knight,  do  not  trifle  with  me ; 
who  are  the  parents  of  this  child  ? "  "  The 
count,  moved  by  her  agitation,  briefly  told  the 
story  of  the  ark.  When  the  duchess  heard  it 
she  gave  a  great  sigh  and  fell  as  one  dead.  On 
reviving,  she  embraced  Pelayo  with  mingled  tears 
and  kisses,  and  proclaimed  him  as  her  long-lost 
son. 


CHAPTER  III. 

How  Pelayo  lived  among  the  Mountains  of  Cantabria.  —  Hii 
Adventure  with  the  Needy  Hidalgo  of  Gascony  and  the 
Rich  Merchant  of  Bordeaux.  —  Discourse  of  the  Holy 
Hermit. 


j  HE  authentic  Agapida  passes  over  many 
pages  of  the  ancient  chronicle  narrating 
the  early  life  of  Pelayo,  presenting 
nothing  of  striking  importance.  His  father,  the 
Duke  of  Cantabria,  was  dead,  and  he  was  care- 
fully reared  by  his  widowed  mother  at  a  castle  in. 
the  Pyrenees,  out  of  the  reach  of  the  dangers 
and  corruptions  of  the  court.  Here  that  hardy 
and  chivalrous  education  was  continued  which 
had  been  commenced  by  his  veteran  foster-father 
on  the  banks  of  the  Tagus.  The  rugged  moun- 
tains around  abounded  with  the  bear,  the  wild  boar, 
and  the  wolf,  and  in  hunting  these  he  prepared 
himself  for  the  conflicts  of  the  field. 

The  old  chronicler  records  an  instance  of  his 
early  prowess  in  the  course  of  one  of  his  hunting 
expeditions  on  the  immediate  borders  of  France. 
The  mountain  passes  and  the  adjacent  lands  were 
much  infested  and  vexed  by  marauders  from  Gas- 
cony.  The  Gascons,  says  the  worthy  Agapida, 
were  a  people  ready  to  lay  their  hands  upon  every- 


250      THE  LEGEND  OF  PELATO. 

thing  they  met.  They  used  smooth  words  when 
necessary,  but  force  when  they  dared.  Though 
poor,  they  were  proud  :  there  was  not  one  who  did 
not  plume  himself  upon  being  a  hijo  de  algo,  or 
son  of  somebody.  Whenever  Pelayo,  therefore, 
hunted  on  the  borders  infested  by  these,  he  was 
attended  by  a  page  conducting  his  horse,  with  his 
buckler  and  lance,  to  be  at  hand  in  case  of  need. 

At  the  head  of  a  band  of  fourteen  of  these 
self-styled  hidalgos  of  Gascony  was  a  broken-down 
cavalier  by  the  name  of  Arnaud.  He  and  four 
of  his  comrades  were  well  armed  and  mounted, 
the  rest  were  mere  scamper-grounds  on  foot, 
armed  with  darts  and  javelins.  This  band  was 
the  terror  of  the  border ;  here  to-day,  gone  to- 
morrow ;  sometimes  in  one  pass  of  the  moun- 
tains, sometimes  in  another  ;  sometimes  they 
made  descents  into  Spain,  harassing  the  roads 
'and  marauding  the  country,  and  were  over  the 
mountains  again  and  into  France  before  a  force 
could  be  sent  against  them. 

It  so  happened  that  while  Pelayo  with  a  num- 
ber of  his  huntsmen  was  on  the  border,  this  Gas- 
con cavalier  and  his  crew  were  on  the  maraud. 
They  had  heard  of  a  rich  merchant  of  Bordeaux 
who  was  to  pass  through  the  mountains  on  his 
way  to  one  of  the  ports  of  Biscay,  with  which 
several  of  his  vessels  traded,  and  that  he  would 
carry  with  him  much  money  for  the  purchase  of 
merchandise.  They  determined  to  ease  him  of 
his  money-bags  ;  for,  being  hidalgos  who  lived 
by  the  sword,  they  considered  all  peaceful  men  of 
trade  as  lawful  spoil,  sent  by  Heaven  for  the  sup- 
ply of  men  of  valor  and  gentle  blood. 


THE  LEGEND  OF  PELAYO.      251 

As  they  waylaid  a  lonely  defile  they  beheld 
the  merchant  approaching.  He  was  a  fair  and 
portly  man,  whose  looks  bespoke  the  good  cheer 
of  his  native  city.  He  was  mounted  on  a  stately 
and  well-fed  steed;  beside  him  on  palfreys  paced 
his  wife,  a  comely  dame,  and  his  daughter,  a 
damsel  of  marriageable  age,  and  fair  to  look  upon. 
A  young  man,  his  nephew,  who  acted  as  his 
clerk,  rode  with  them,  and  a  single  domestic  fol- 
lowed. 

When  the  travellers  had  advanced  within  the 
defile,  the  bandeleros  rushed  from  behind  a  rock 
and  set  upon  them.  The  nephew  fought  valiant- 
ly and  was  slain  ;  the  servant  fled ;  the  mer- 
chant, though  little  used  to  the  exercise  of  arms, 
and  of  unwieldy  bulk,  made  courageous  defense, 
having  his  wife  and  daughter  and  his  money-bags 
at  hazard.  He  was  wounded  in  two  places  and 
overpowered. 

The  freebooters  were  disappointed  at  not  find- 
ing the  booty  they  expected,  and  putting  their 
swords  to  the  breast  of  the  merchant,  demanded 
where  was  the  money  with  which  he  was  to  traffic 
in  Biscay.  The  trembling  merchant  informed 
them  that  a  trusty  servant  was  following  him  at 
no  great  distance  with  a  stout  hackney  la*den 
with  bags  of  money.  Overjoyed  at  this  intelli- 
gence, they  bound  their  captives  to  trees  and 
awaited  the  arrival  of  the  treasure. 

In  the  mean  time  Pelayo  was  on  a  hill  near  a 
narrow  pass,  awaiting  a  wild  boar  which  his 
huntsmen  were  to  rouse.  While  thus  posted  the 
merchant's  servant,  who  had  escaped,  came  run- 


252  THE  LEGEND   OF  PEL  A  JO. 

ning  in  breathless  terror,  but  fell  on  his  knees  be- 
fore Pelayo  and  craved  his  life  in  the  most  pite- 
ous terms,  supposing  him  another  of  the  robbers. 
It  was  some  time  before  he  could  be  persuaded  of 
his  mistake  and  made  to  tell  the  story  of  the 
robbery.  When  Pelayo  heard  the  tale,  he  per- 
ceived that  the  robbers  in  question  must  be  the 
Gascon  hidalgos  upon  the  scamper.  Taking  his 
armor  from  the  page,  he  put  on  his  helmet,  slung 
his  buckler  round  his  neck,  took  lance  in  hand, 
and  mounting  his  horse,  compelled  the  trembling 
servant  to  guide  him  to  the  scene  of  the  robbery. 
At  the  same  time  he  dispatched  his  page  to  sum- 
mon as  many  of  his  huntsmen  as  possible  to  his 
assistance. 

Whea  the  robbers  saw  Pelayo  advancing 
through  the  forest,  the  sun  sparkling  upon  his 
rich  armor,  i\\*d  saw  that  he  was  attended  but  by 
a  single  page,  they  considered  him  a  new  prize, 
and  Arnaud  and  two  of  his  companions  mounting 
their  horses  advanced  to  meet  him.  Pelayo  put 
himself  in  a  narrow  pass  between  two  rocks, 
whem  he  could  only  be  attacked  in  front,  and, 
bracing  his  buckler  and  lowering  his  lance,  await- 
ed their  coming. 

v  Who  and  what  are  ye,"  cried  he,  "  and  what 
seek  ye  in  this  land  ?  " 

*'  We  are  huntsmen,"  cried  Arnaud,  "  in  quest 
of  game  ;  and  lo !  it  runs  into  our  toils." 

"  By  my  faith,"  said  Pelayo,  "  thou  wilt  find 
the  *$ame  easier  roused  than  taken  ;  have  at  thee 
far  a  villain." 

So   saying,    he    put    spurs    to  his    horse  and 


THE  LEGEND   OF  PELA  TO.  253 

charged  upon  him.  Arnaud  was  totally  unpre- 
pared for  so  sudden  an  assault,  having  scarce  an- 
ticipated a  defense.  He  hastily  couched  his 
lance,  but  it  merely  glanced  on  the  shield  of 
Pelayo,  who  sent  his  own  through  the  middle  of 
his  breast,  and  threw  him  out  of  his  saddle  to  the 
earth.  One  of  the  other  robbers  made  at  Pelayo 
and  wounded  him  slightly  in  the  side,  but  re- 
ceived a  blow  on  the  head  which  cleft  his  skull- 
cap and  sank  into  his  brain.  His  companion, 
seeing  him  fall,  galloped  off  through  the  forest. 

By  this  time  three  or  four  of  the  robbers  on 
foot  had  come  up,  and  assailed  Pelayo.  He  re- 
ceived two  of  their  darts  on  his  buckler,  a  javelin 
razed  his  cuirass,  and  his  horse  received  two 
wounds.  Pelayo  then  rushed  upon  them  and 
struck  one  dead  ;  the  others,  seeing  several  hunts- 
men advancing,  took  to  flight;  two  were  overtaken 
and  made  prisoners,  the  rest  escaped  by  clamber- 
ing among  rocks  and  precipices. 

The  good  merchant  of  Bordeaux  and  his  family 
beheld  this  scene  with  trembling  and  amazement. 
They  almost  looked  upon  Pelayo  as  something 
more  than  mortal,  for  they  had  never  witnessed 
such  feats  of  arms.  Still  they  considered  him  as 
a  leader  of  some  rival  band  of  robbers,  and  when 
he  came  up  and  had  the  bands  loosened  by  which 
they  were  fastened  to  the  trees,  they  fell  at  his 
feet  and  implored  for  mercy.  It  was  with  diffi- 
culty he  could  pacify  their  fears ;  the  females 
were  soonest  reassured,  especially  the  daughter, 
for  the  young  maid  was  struck  with  the  gentle 
demeanor  and  noble  countenance  of  Pelayo,  and 


254  THE  LEGEND    OF  PELA  YO. 

said  to  herself,  Surely  nothing  wicked  can  dwell 
in  so  heavenly  a  form. 

Pelayo  now  ordered  that  the  wounds  of  the 
merchant  should  be  dressed,  and  his  own  exam- 
ined. When  his  cuirass  was  taken  off,  his  wound 
was  found  to  be  but  slight ;  but  his  men  were  so 
exasperated  at  seeing  his  blood,  that  they  would 
have  put  the  two  captive  Gascons  to  death  had 
he  not  forbade  them.  He  now  sounded  his  hunt- 
ing horn,  which  echoed  from  rock  to  rock,  and 
was  answered  by  shouts  and  horns  from  various 
parts  of  the  mountains.  The  merchant's  heart 
misgave  him ;  he  again  thought  he  was  among 
robbers ;  nor  were  his  fears  allayed  when  he  be- 
held in  a  little  while  more  than  forty  men  assem- 
bling together  from  various  parts  of  the  forest, 
clad  in  hunting-dresses,  with  boar-spears,  darts, 
and  hunting-swords,  and  each  leading  a  hound  by 
a  long  cord.  All  this  was  a  new  and  a  wild 
world  to  the  astonished  merchant,  nor  was  his  un- 
easiness abated  when  he  beheld  his  servant  arrive 
leading  the  hackney  laden  with  money.  Certain- 
ly, said  he  to  himself,  this  will  be  too  tempting 
spoil  for  these  wild  men  of  the  mountains. 

The  huntsmen  brought  with  them  a  boar, 
which  they  had  killed,  and  being  hungry  from 
the  chase,  they  lighted  a  fire  at  the  foot  of  a  tree, 
and  each  cutting  such  portion  of  the  boar  as  he 
liked  best,  roasted  it  at  the  fire,  and  ate  it  with 
bread  taken  from  his  wallet.  The  merchant,  his 
wife,  and  daughter  looked  at  all  this  and  won- 
dered, for  they  had  never  beheld  so  savage  a  re- 
v>ast.  Pelayo  then  inquired  of  them  *f  they  did 


THE  LEGEND   OF  PELA  YO.  255 

not  desire  to  eat.  They  were  too  much  in  awe  of 
him  to  decline,  though  they  felt  a  loathing  at  the  idea 
of  this  hunter's  fare.  Linen  cloths  were  therefore 
spread  under  the  shade  of  a  great  oak,  to  screen 
them  from  the  sun  ;  and  when  they  had  seated 
themselves  round  it,  they  were  served,  to  their 
astonishment,  not  with  the  flesh  of  the  boar,  but 
with  dainty  viands,  such  as  the  merchant  had 
scarcely  hoped  to  find  out  of  the  walls  of  his 
native  city  of  Bordeaux. 

While  they  were  eating,  the  young  damsel,  the 
daughter  of  the  merchant,  could  not  keep  her  eyes 
from  Pelayo.  Gratitude  for  his  protection,  ad- 
miration of  his  valor,  had  filled  her  heart ;  and 
when  she  regarded  his  noble  countenance,  now 
that  he  had  laid  aside  his  helmet,  she  thought  she 
beheld  something  divine.  The  heart  of  the  tender 
Donzella,  says  the  old  historian,  was  kind  and 
yielding ;  and  had  Pelayo  thought  fit  to  ask  the 
greatest  boon  that  love  and  beauty  could  bestow,  — 
doubtless  meaning  her  own  fair  hand,  —  she  would 
not  have  had  the  cruelty  to  say  him  nay.  Pelayo, 
however,  had  no  such  thought.  The  love  of 
woman  had  never  yet  entered  in  his  heart :  and 
though  he  regarded  the  damsel  as  the  fairest 
maiden  he  had  ever  beheld^  her  beauty  caused  no 
perturbation  in  his  breast. 

When  the  repast  was  over,  Pelayo  offered  to 
conduct  the  merchant  and  his  family  through  the 
passes  of  the  mountains,  which  were  yet  danger- 
ous from  the  scattered  band  of  Gascons.  The 
bodies  of  the  slain  marauders  were  buried,  and 
the  corpse  of  the  nephew  of  the  merchant  was 


256  THE  LEGEND  OF  PELAYO. 

laid  upon  one  of  the  horses  captured  in  the  battle. 
They  then  formed  their  cavalcade  and  pursued 
their  way  slowly  up  one  of  the  steep  and  winding 
defiles  of  the  Pyrenees. 

Towards  sunset  they  arrived  at  the  dwelling 
of  a  holy  hermit.  It  was  hewn  out  of  the  solid 
rock,  a  cross  was  over  the  door,  and  before  it  was 
a  spreading  oak,  with  a  sweet  spring  of  water  at 
its  foot.  Here  the  body  of  the  merchant's  nephew 
was  buried,  close  by  the  wall  of  this  sacred  re- 
treat, and  the  hermit  performed  a  mass  for  the 
repose  of  his  soul.  Pelayo  then  obtained  leave 
from  the  holy  father  that  the  merchant's  wife  and 
daughter  should  pass  the  night  within  his  cell ; 
and  the  hermit  made  beds  of  moss  for  them  and 
gave  them  his  benediction ;  but  the  damsel  found 
little  rest,  so  much  were  her  thoughts  occupied  by 
the  youthful  cavalier  who  had  delivered  her  from 
death  or  dishonor. 

When  all  were  buried  in  repose,  the  hermit 
came  to  Pelayo,  who  was  sleeping  by  the  spring 
under  the  tree,  and  he  awoke  him  and  said,  "  Arise 
my  son,  and  listen  to  my  words."  Pelayo  arose 
and  seated  himself  on  a  rock,  and  the  holy  man 
stood  before  him,  and  the  beams  of  the  moon  fell 
on  his  silver  hair  and  beard,  arid  he  said :  "  This 
is  no  time  to  be  sleeping ;  for  know  that  thou  art 
chosen  for  a  great  work.  Behold  the  ruin  of 
Spain  is  at  hand,  destruction  shall  come  over  it 
like  a  cloud,  and  there  shall  be  no  safeguard. 
For  it  is  the  will  of  Heaven  that  evil  shall  for  a 
time  have  sway,  and  whoever  withstands  it  shall 
be  destroyed.  But  tarry  thou  not  to  see  these 


THE  LEGEND   OF  PEL  AT  0.  257 

things,  for  thou  canst  not  relieve  them.  Depart 
on  a  pilgrimage,  and  visit  the  sepulchre  of  our 
blessed  Lord  in  Palestine,  and  purify  thyself  by 
prayer,  and  enrol  thyself  in  the  order  of  chivalry, 
and  prepare  for  the  work  of  the  redemption  of 
thy  country.  When  thou  shalt  return,  thou  wilt 
find  thyself  a  stranger  in  the  land.  Thy  residence 
will  be  in  wild  dens  and  caves  of  the  earth,  which 
thy  young  foot  has  never  trodden.  Thou  wilt 
find  thy  countrymen  harboring  with  the  beasts 
of  the  forest  and  the  eagles  of  the  mountains. 
The  land  which  thou  leavest  smiling  with  corn- 
fields, and  covered  with  vines  and  olives,  thou 
wilt  find  overrun  with  weeds  and  thorns  and 
brambles ;  and  wolves  will  roam  where  there  have 
been  peaceful  flocks  and  herds.  But  thou  wilt 
weed  out  the  tares,  and  destroy  the  wolves,  and 
raise  again  the  head  of  thy  suffering  country." 

Much  further  discourse  had  Pelayo  with  this 
holy  man,  who  revealed  to  him  many  of  the  fear- 
ful events  that  were  to  happen,  and  counseled 
him  the  way  in  which  he  was  to  act. 

When  the  morning  sun  shone  upon  the  moun- 
tains, the  party  assembled  round  the  door  of  the 
hermitage,  and  made  a  repast  by  the  fountain 
under  the  tree.  Then,  having  received  the  bene- 
diction of  the  hermit,  they  departed,  and  travelled 
through  the  forests  and  defiles  of  the  mountain,  in 
the  freshness  of  the  day ;  and  when  the  merchant 
beheld  his  wife  and  daughter  thus  secure  by  his 
side,  and  the  hackney  laden  with  his  treasure  fol- 
lowing close  behind  him,  his  heart  was  light  in  his 
bosom,  and  he  carolled  as  he  went.  But  Pelayo 
17 


258  THE  LEGEND   OF  PEL  AT  0. 

rode  in  silence,  for  his  mind  was  deeply  moved  by 
the  revelations  and  the  counsel  of  the  hermit ;  and 
the  daughter  of  the  merchant  ever  and  anon  re- 
garded him  with  eyes  of  tenderness  and  admiration, 
and  deep  sighs  spoke  the  agitation  of  her  bosom. 

At  length  they  came  to  where  the  forests  and 
the  rocks  terminated,  and  a  secure  road  lay  before 
them ;  and  here  Pelayo  paused  to  take  his  leave, 
appointing  a  number  of  his  followers  to  attend 
and  guard  them  to  the  nearest  town. 

When  they  came  to  part,  the  merchant  and  his 
wife  were  loud  in  their  thanks  and  benedictions ; 
but  for  some  time  the  daughter  spake  never  a 
word.  At  length  she  raised  her  eyes,  which  were 
filled  with  tears,  and  looked  wistfully  at  Pelayo, 
and  her  bosom  throbbed,  and  after  a  struggle  be- 
tween strong  affection  and  virgin  modesty  her 
heart  relieved  itself  by  words. 

"  Senor,"  said  she,  "  I  know  that  I  am  humble 
and  unworthy  of  the  notice  of  so  noble  a  cavalier, 
but  suffer  me  to  place  this  ring  on  a  finger  of  your 
right  hand,  with  which  you  have  so  bravely 
rescued  us  from  death ;  and  when  you  regard  it, 
you  shall  consider  it  as  a  memorial  of  your  own 
valor,  and  not  of  one  who  is  too  humble  to  be 
remembered  by  you."  With  these  words  she 
drew  a  ring  from  off  her  finger  and  put  it  upon 
the  finger  of  Pelayo ;  and  having  done  this,  she 
blushed  and  trembled  at  her  own  boldness,  and 
stood  as  one  abashed,  with  her  eyes  cast  down 
upon  the  earth. 

Pelayo  was  moved  at  her  words,  and  at  the 
touch  of  her  fair  hand,  and  at  her  beauty  as  she 


TEE  LEGEND  OF  PELAYO.      259 

stood  thus  troubled  and  in  tears  before  him  ;  but 
as  yet  he  knew  nothing  of  woman,  and  his  heart 
was  free  from  the  snares  of  love.  "  Amiga" 
(friend),  said  he,  "  I  accept  thy  present,  and  will 
wear  it  in  remembrance  of  thy  goodness."  The 
damsel  was  cheered  by  these  words,  for  she  hoped 
she  had  awakened  some  tenderness  in  his  bosom ; 
but  it  was  no  such  thing,  says  the  ancient  chroni- 
cler, for  his  heart  was  ignorant  of  love,  and  was 
devoted  to  higher  and  more  sacred  matters  ;  yet 
certain  it  is,  that  he  always  guarded  well  that 
ring. 

They  parted,  and  Pelayo  and  his  huntsmen  re- 
mained for  some  time  on  a  cliff  on  the  verge  of 
the  forest,  watching  that  no  evil  befell  them  about 
the  skirts  of  the  mountain  ;  and  the  damsel  often 
turned  her  head  to  look  at  him,  until  she  could 
no  longer  see  him  for  the  distance  and  the  tears 
that  dimmed  her  eyes. 

And,  for  that  he  had  accepted  her  ring,  she 
considered  herself  wedded  to  him  in  her  heart, 
and  never  married ;  nor  could  be  brought  to  look 
with  eyes  of  affection  upon  any  other  man,  but 
for  the  true  love  which  she  bore  Pelayo  she 
lived  and  died  a  virgin.  And  she  composed  a 
book,  continues  the  old  chronicler,  which  treated 
of  love  and  chivalry,  and  the  temptations  of  this 
mortal  life,  —  and  one  part  discoursed  of  celestial 
things,  —  and  it  was  called  the  "  Contemplations 
of  Love ; "  because  at  the  time  she  wrote  it  she 
thought  of  Pelayo,  and  of  his  having  received 
her  jewel,  and  called  her  by  the  gentle  name  of 
f* Amiga;"  and  orten  thinking  of  him,  and  of 


260 


THE  LEGEND   OF  PELATO. 


her  never  having  beheld  him  more,  in  tender 
sadness  she  would  take  the  book  which  she  had 
written,  and  would  read  it  for  him,  and,  while 
she  repeated  the  words  of  love  which  it  con- 
tained, she  would  fancy  them  uttered  by  Pelayo, 
and  that  he  stood  before  her.1 

l  El  More  Rasis,  Destruydan  de  Espana,  pt.  2,  c.  10L 


CHAPTER  IV. 

Pilgrimage  of  Pelayo,  and  what  befell  him  on  his  Return  to 
Spain. 

ELAYO,  according  to  the  old  chronicle 
before  quoted,  returned  to  his  home 
deeply  impressed  with  the  revelations 
made  to  him  by  the  saintly  hermit,  and  prepared 
to  set  forth  upon  the  pilgrimage  to  the  Holy 
Sepulchre.  Some  historians  have  alleged  that  he 
was  quickened  to  this  pious  expedition  by  fears 
of  violence  from  the  wicked  King  Witiza ;  but  at 
this  time  Witiza  was  in  his  grave,  and  Roderick 
swayed  the  Gothic  sceptre ;  the  sage  Agapida  is 
therefore  inclined  to  attribute  the  pilgrimage  to 
the  mysterious  revelation  already  mentioned. 

Having  arranged  the  concerns  of  his  house- 
hold, chosen  the  best  suit  of  armor  from  his 
armory,  and  the  best  horse  from  his  stable,  and 
supplied  himself  with  jewels  and  store  of  gold 
for  his  expenses,  he  took  leave  of  his  mother  and 
his  sister  Lucinda,  as  if  departing  upon  a  distant 
journey  in  Spain,  and,  attended  only  by  his 
page,  set  out  upon  his  holy  wayfaring.  De- 
scending from  the  rugged  Pyrenees,  he  journeyed 
through  the  fair  plains  of  France  to  Marseilles, 
where,  laying  by  his  armor,  and  leaving  his 
horses  in  safe  keeping,  he  put  on  a  pilgrim's 


262  THE  LEGEND   OF  PELATO. 

garb,  with  staff  and  scrip  and  cockle-shell,  and 
embarked  on  board  of  a  galley  bound  for  Sicily. 
From  Messina  he  voyaged  in  a  small  bark  to 
Rhodes ;  thence  in  a  galliot,  with  a  number  of 
other  pilgrims,  to  the  Holy  Land.  Having 
passed  a  year  of  pious  devotion  at  the  Holy 
Sepulchre,  and  visited  all  the  places  rendered 
sacred  by  the  footsteps  of  our  Lord,  and  of  his 
mother  the  ever-blessed  Virgin,  and  having  re- 
ceived the  order  of  knighthood,  he  turned  his 
steps  toward  his  native  land. 

The  discreet  Agapida  here  pauses  and  forbears 
to  follow  the  ancient  chronicler  further  in  his 
narration,  for  an  interval  of  obscurity  now  occurs 
in  the  fortunes  of  Pelayo.  Some  who  have  en- 
deavored to  ascertain  and  connect  the  links  of 
his  romantic  and  eventful  story,  have  represented 
him  as  returning  from  his  pilgrimage  in  time  to 
share  in  the  last  struggle  of  his  country,  and  as 
signalizing  himself  in  the  fatal  battle  on  the 
banks  of  the  Guadalete.  Others  declare  that  by 
the  time  he  arrived  in  Spain  the  perdition  of  the 
country  was  complete ;  that  infidel  chieftains 
bore  sway  in  the  palaces  of  his  ancestors ;  that 
his  paternal  castle  was  a  ruin,  his  mother  in  her 
grave,  and  his  sister  Lucinda  carried  away  into 
captivity. 

Stepping  lightly  over  this  disputed  ground,  the 
cautious  Agapida  resumes  the  course  of  the  story 
where  Pelayo  discovers  the  residence  of  his  sister 
in  the  city  of  Gijon,  on  the  Atlantic  coast,  at  the 
foot  of  the  Asturian  Mountains.  It  was  a  for- 
midable fortress,  chosen  by  Taric  as  a  military 


THE  LEGEND   OF  PEL  AT 0.  263 

post,  to  control  the  seaboard,  and  hold  in  check 
the  Christian  patriots  who  had  taken  refuge  in 
the  neighboring  mountains.  The  commander  of 
this  redoubtable  fortress  was  a  renegado  chief, 
who  has  been  variously  named  by  historians,  and 
who  held  the  sister  of  Pelayo  a  captive ;  though 
others  affirm  that  she  had  submitted  to  become 
his  wife,  to  avoid  a  more  degrading  fate.  Ac- 
cording to  the  old  chronicle  already  cited,  Pelayo 
succeeded  by  artifice  in  extricating  her  from  his 
hands,  and  bearing  her  away  to  the  mountains. 
They  were  hotly  pursued,  but  Pelayo  struck  up 
a  steep  and  rugged  defile,  where  scarcely  two 
persons  could  pass  abreast,  and  partly  by  his 
knowledge  of  the  defiles,  partly  by  hurling  down 
great  masses  of  rock  to  check  his  pursuers, 
effected  the  escape  of  his  sister  and  himself  to  a 
secure  part  of  the  mountains.  Here  they  found 
themselves  in  a  small  green  meadow,  blocked  up 
by  a  perpendicular  precipice,  whence  fell  a 
stream  of  water  with  great  noise  into  a  natural 
basin  or  pool,  the  source  of  the  river  Deva. 
Here  was  the  hermitage  of  one  of  those  holy 
men  who  had  accompanied  the  Archbishop  Ur- 
bano  in  his  flight  from  Toledo,  and  had  estab- 
lished a  sanctuary  among  these  mountains.  He 
received  the  illustrious  fugitives  with  joy,  espe- 
cially when  he  knew  their  rank  and  story,  and 
conducted  them  to  his  retreat.  A  kind  of  ladder 
led  up  to  an  aperture  in  the  face  of  the  rock, 
about  two  pike  lengths  from  the  ground.  Within 
was  a  lofty  cavern  capable  of  containing  many 
people,  with  an  inner  cavern  of  still  greater 


264      THE  LEGEND  OF  PELAYO. 

magnitude.  The  outer  cavern  served  as  a  chapel, 
having  an  altar,  a  crucifix,  and  an  image  of  the 
blessed  Mary. 

This  wild  retreat  had  never  been  molested ; 
not  a  Moslem  turban  had  been  seen  within  the 
little  valley.  The  cavern  was  well  known  to  the 
Gothic  inhabitants  of  the  mountains  and  the  ad- 
jacent valleys.  They  called  it  the  cave  of 
Santa  Maria ;  but  it  is  more  commonly  known  to 
fame  by  the  name  of  Covadonga.  It  had  many 
times  been  a  secure  place  of  refuge  to  suffering 
Christians,  being  unknown  to  their  foes,  and 
capable  of  being  made  a  natural  citadel.  The 
entrance  was  so  far  from  the  ground  that,  when 
the  ladder  was  removed,  a  handful  of  men  could 
defend  it  from  all  assault.  The  small  meadow  in 
front  afforded  pasturage  and  space  for  gardens ; 
and  the  stream  that  fell  from  the  rock  was  from 
a  never-failing  spring.  The  valley  was  high  in 
the  mountains ;  so  high  that  the  crow  seldom 
winged  its  flight  across  it,  and  the  passes  leading 
to  it  were  so  steep  and  dangerous  that  single 
men  might  set  whole  armies  at  defiance. 

Such  was  one  of  the  wild  fastnesses  of  the 
Asturias,  which  formed  the  forlorn  hope  of  un- 
happy Spain.  The  anchorite,  too,  was  one  of 
those  religious  men  permitted  by  the  conquerors, 
from  their  apparently  peaceful  and  inoffensive 
lives,  to  inhabit  lonely  chapels  and  hermitages, 
but  whose  cells  formed  places  of  secret  resort 
and  council  for  the  patriots  of  Spain,  and  who 
kept  up  an  intercourse  and  understanding  among 
the  scattered  remnants  of  the  nation.  The  holy 


THE  LEGEND   OF  PELATO.  265 

man  knew  all  the  Christians  of  the  Astnrias, 
whether  living  in  the  almost  inaccessible  caves 
and  dens  of  the  cliffs,  or  in  the  narrow  valleys 
imbedded  among  the  mountains.  He  represented 
them  to  Pelayo  as  brave  and  hardy,  and  ready 
for  any  desperate  enterprise  that  might  promise 
deliverance ;  but  they  were  disheartened  by  the 
continued  subjection  of  their  country,  and  on  the 
point,  many  of  them,  of  descending  into  the 
plains  and  submitting,  like  the  rest  of  their  coun- 
trymen, to  the  yoke  of  the  conquerors. 

When  Pelayo  considered  all  these  things,  he 
was  persuaded  the  time  was  come  for  effecting 
the  great  purpose  of  his  soul.  "  Father,"  said 
he,  "  I  will  no  longer  play  the  fugitive,  nor  en- 
dure the  disgrace  of  my  country  and  my  line. 
Here  in  this  wilderness  will  I  rear  once  more 
the  royal  standard  of  the  Goths,  and  attempt, 
with  the  blessing  of  God,  to  shake  off  the  yoke 
of  the  invader." 

The  hermit  hailed  his  words  with  transport,  as 
prognostics  of  the  deliverance  of  Spain.  Taking 
staff  in  hand,  he  repaired  to  the  nearest  valley 
inhabited  by  Christian  fugitives.  "  Hasten  in 
every  direction,"  said  he,  "and  proclaim  far  and 
wide  among  the  mountains  that  Pelayo,  a  de- 
scendant of  the  Gothic  kings,  has  unfurled  his 
banner  at  Covadonga  as  a  rallying-point  for  his 
countrymen." 

The  glad  tidings  ran  like  wildfire  throughout 
all  the  regions  of  the  Asturias.  Old  and  young 
started  up  at  the  sound,  and  seized  whatever 
weapons  were  at  hand.  From  mountain  cleft 


266  THE  LEGEND  OF  PELA  TO. 

and  secret  glen  issued  forth  stark  and  stalwart 
warriors,  grim  with  hardship,  and  armed  with 
old  Gothic  weapons  that  had  rusted  in  caves 
since  the  battle  of  the  Guadalete.  Others  turned 
their  rustic  implements  into  spears  and  battle- 
axes,  and  hastened  to  join  the  standard  of  Pe- 
layo.  Every  day  beheld  numbers  of  patriot 
warriors  arriving  in  the  narrow  valley,  or  rather 
glen,  of  Covadonga,  clad  in  all  the  various  garbs 
of  ancient  Spain,  —  for  here  were  fugitives  from 
every  province,  who  had  preferred  liberty  among 
the  sterile  rocks  of  the  mountains  to  ease  and 
slavery  in  the  plains.  In  a  little  while  Pelayo 
found  himself  at  the  head  of  a  formidable  force, 
hardened  by  toil  and  suffering,  fired  with  old 
Spanish  pride,  and  rendered  desperate  by  despair. 
With  these  he  maintained  a  warlike  sway  among 
the  mountains.  Did  any  infidel  troops  attempt 
to  penetrate  to  their  stronghold,  the  signal  fires 
blazed  from  height  to  height,  the  steep  passes  and 
defiles  bristled  with  armed  men,  and  rocks  were 
hurled  upon  the  heads  of  the  intruders. 

By  degrees  the  forces  of  Pelayo  increased  so 
much  in  number,  arid  in  courage  of  heart,  that 
he  sallied  forth  occasionally  from  the  mountains, 
swept  the  sea-coast,  assailed  the  Moors  in  their 
towns  and  villages,  put  many  of  them  to  the 
sword,  and  returned  laden  with  spoil  to  the 
mountains. 

His  name  now  became  the  terror  of  the  infi- 
dels, and  the  hope  and  consolation  of  the  Chris- 
tians. The  heart  of  old  Gothic  Spain  was  once 
more  lifted  up,  and  hailed  his  standard  as  the 


THE  LEGEND  OF  PEL  A  TO.  267 

harbinger  of  happier  days.  Her  scattered  sons 
felt  again  as  a  people,  and  the  spirit  of  empire 
arose  once  more  among  them.  Gathering  to- 
gether from  all  parts  of  the  Asturias  in  the  Val- 
ley of  Cangas,  they  resolved  to  elect  their  cham- 
pion their  sovereign.  Placing  the  feet  of  Pelayo 
upon  a  shield,  several  of  the  starkest  warriors 
raised  him  aloft,  according  to  ancient  Gothic 
ceremonial,  and  presented  him  as  king.  The 
multitude  rent  the  air  with  their  transports,  and 
the  mountain  cliffs,  which  so  long  had  echoed 
nothing  but  lamentations,  now  resounded  with 
shouts  of  joy.1  Thus  terminated  the  interreg- 
num of  Christian  Spain,  which  had  lasted  since 
the  overthrow  of  King  Roderick  and  his  host  on 
the  banks  of  the  Guadalete,  and  the  new  king 
continued  with  augmented  zeal  his  victorious  ex- 
peditions against  the  infidels. 

1  Morales,  Oronicon  de  Espana,  L.  13,  c.  2. 


CHAPTER  V. 

The  Battle  of  Covadonga. 

jIDINGS  soon  spread  throughout  Spain 
that  the  Christians  of  the  Asturias  were 
in  arms  and  had  proclaimed  a  king 
among  the  mountains.  The  veteran  chief,  Taric 
el  Tuerto,  was  alarmed  for  the  safety  of  the  sea- 
board, and  dreaded  lest  this  insurrection  should 
extend  into  the  plains.  He  despatched,  therefore, 
in  all  haste,  a  powerful  force  from  Cordova,  under 
the  command  of  Ibrahim  Alcamar,  one  of  his 
most  experienced  captains,  with  orders  to  pene- 
trate the  mountains  and  crush  this  dangerous  re- 
bellion. The  perfidious  Bishop  Oppas,  who  had 
promoted  the  perdition  of  Spain,  was  sent  with 
this  host,  in  the  hope  that  through  his  artful  elo- 
quence Pelayo  might  be  induced  to  lay  down  his 
arms  and  his  newly  assumed  sceptre. 

The  army  made  rapid  marches,  and  in  a  few 
days  arrived  among  the  narrow  valleys  of  the 
Asturias.  The  Christians  had  received  notice  of 
their  approach,  and  fled  to  their  fastnesses.  The 
Moors  found  the  valleys  silent  and  deserted  ;  there 
were  traces  of  men,  but  not  a  man  was  to  be  seen. 
They  passed  through  the  most  wild  and  dreary 
defiles,  among  impending  rocks"  —  here  and  there 


THE  LEGEND    OF  PEL  AY  0.  2G9 

varied  by  small  green  strips  of  mountain  meadow, 
—  and  directed  their  march  for  the  lofty  valley, 
or  rather  glen,  of  Covadonga,  whi.her  they  learnt 
from  their  scouts  that  Pelayo  had  retired. 

The  newly  elected  king,  when  he  heard  of  the 
approach  of  this  mighty  force,  sent  his  sister,  and 
all  the  women  and  children,  to  a  distant  and  secret 
part  of  the  mountain.  He  then  chose  a  thousand 
of  his  best  armed  and  most  powerful  men,  and 
placed  them  within  the  cave.  The  lighter  armed 
and  less  vigorous  he  ordered  to  climb  to  the  sum- 
mit of  the  impending  rocks,  and  conceal  themselves 
among  the  thickets  with  which  they  were  crowned. 
This  done,  he  entered  the  cavern  and  caused  the 
ladder  leading  to  it  to  be  drawn  up. 

In  a  little  while  the  bray  of  distant  trumpets, 
and  the  din  of  atabals  resounded  up  the  glen,  and 
soon  the  whole  gorge  of  the  mountain  glistened 
with  armed  men ;  squadron  after  squadron  of 
swarthy  Arabs  spurred  into  the  valley,  which 
was  soon  whitened  by  their  tents.  The  veteran 
Ibrahim  Alcamar,  trusting  that  he  had  struck  dis- 
may into  the  Christians  by  this  powerful  display, 
sent  the  crafty  Bishop  Oppas  to  parley  with  Pe- 
layo, and  persuade  him  to  surrender. 

The  bishop  advanced  on  his  steed  until  within 
a  short  distance  of  the  cave,  and  Pelayo  appeared 
at  its  entrance  with  lance  in  hand.  The  silver- 
tongued  prelate  urged  him  to  submit  to  the 
Moslem  power,  assuring  him  that  he  would  be 
rewarded  with  great  honors  and  estates.  He  rep- 
resented the  mildness  of  the  conquerors  to  all  who 
submitted  to  their  sway,  and  tlie  hopelessness  of 


270  TEE  LEGEND   OF  PEL  A  TO. 

resistance.  "  Remember,"  said  he,  "  how  mighty 
was  the  power  of  the  Goths,  who  vanquished  both 
Romans  and  Barbarians,  yet  how  completely  was 
it  broken  down  and  annihilated  by  these  people. 
If  the  whole  nation  in  arms  could  not  stand  be' 
fore  them,  what  canst  thou  do  with  thy  wretched 
cavern  and  thy  handful  of  mountaineers  ?  Be 
counseled  then,  Pelayo ;  give  up  this  desperate 
attempt ;  accept  the  liberal  terms  offered  thee ; 
abandon  these  sterile  mountains,  and  return  to 
the  plains  to  live  in  wealth  and  honor  under  the 
magnanimous  rule  of  Taric." 

Pelayo  listened  to  the  hoary  traitor  with  mingled 
impatience  and  disdain.  "  Perdition  has  come 
upon  Spain,"  replied  he,  "  through  the  degeneracy 
of  her  sons,  the  sins  of  her  rulers,  —  like  the 
wicked  King  Witiza  thy  brother,  —  and  the  treach- 
ery of  base  men  like  thee.  But  when  punishment 
is  at  an  end,  mercy  and  forgiveness  succeed. 
The  Goths  have  reached  the  lowest  extreme  of  mis- 
ery ;  it  is  for  me  to  aid  their  fortune  in  the  turn, 
and  soon  I  trust  will  it  arise  to  its  former  gran- 
deur. As  to  thee,  Don  Oppas,  thou  shalt  stand 
abhorred  among  men,  false  to  thy  country,  trai- 
torous to  thy  king,  a  renegado  Christian,  and  an 
apostate  priest." 

So  saying  he  turned  his  back  upon  the  bishop 
and  retired  into  his  cave. 

Oppas  returned  pale  with  shame  and  malice  to 
Alcamar.  "  These  people,"  said  he,  "  are  stiff- 
necked  in  their  rebellion  ;  their  punishment  should 
be  according  to  their  obstinacy,  and  should  serve  as 
a  terror  to  evil  doers ;  not  one  of  them  should  be 
permitted  to  survive." 


TEE  LEGEND   OF  PELAYO.  271 

Upon  this  Alcamar  ordered  a  grand  assault 
upon  the  cavern ;  and  the  slingers  and  the  cross- 
bow men  advanced  in  great  force,  and  with  a  din 
of  atabals  and  trumpets  that  threatened  to  rend 
the  very  rocks.  They  discharged  showers  of 
stones  and  arrows  at  the  mouth  of  the  cavern,  but 
their  missiles  rebounded  from  the  face  of  the  rock, 
and  many  of  them  fell  upon  their  own  heads. 
This  is  recorded  as  a  miracle  by  pious  chroniclers 
of  yore,  who  affirm  that  the  stones  and  arrows 
absolutely  turned  in  the  air  and  killed  those  who 
had  discharged  them. 

When  Alcamar  and  Oppas  saw  that  the  attack 
was  ineffectual,  they  brought  up  fresh  forces  and 
made  preparations  to  scale  the  mouth  of  the  cav- 
ern. At  this  moment,  says  the  old  chronicle,  a 
banner  was  put  in  the  hand  of  Pelayo,  bearing  a 
white  cross  on  a  blood-red  field,  and  inscribed  on 
it  in  Chaldean  characters  was  the  name  of  Jesus. 
Arid  a  voice  spake  unto  him  and  said,  "  Arouse 
thy  strength ;  go  forth  in  the  name  of  Jesus 
Christ,  and  thou  shalt  conquer."  Who  gave  the 
banner  and  uttered  the  words  has  never  been 
known ;  the  whole,  therefore,  stands  recorded  as 
a  miracle. 

Then  Pelayo  elevated  the  banner.  "  Behold,'* 
said  he,  "  a  sign  from  Heaven,  —  a  sacred  cross 
sent  to  lead  us  on  to  victory." 

Upon  this  the  people  gave  a  great  shout  of  joy; 
and  when  the  Saracens  heard  that  shout  within 
the  entrails  of  the  mountain  their  hearts  quaked, 
for  it  was  like  the  roar  of  a  volcano  giving  token 
of  au  eruption. 


272  THE  LEGEND   OF  PELA  TO. 

Before  they  could  recover  from  their  astonish- 
ment, the  Christians  issued  in  a  torrent  from  the 
cave,  all  fired  with  rage  and  holy  confidence. 
By  their  impetuous  assault  they  bore  back  the 
first  rank  of  their  adversaries  and  forced  it  upon 
those  behind,  and  as  there  was  no  space  in  that 
narrow  valley  to  display  a  front  of  war,  or  for 
many  to  fight  at  a  time,  the  numbers  of  the  foe 
but  caused  their  confusion.  The  horse  trampled 
on  the  foot,  and  the  late  formidable  host  became 
a  mere  struggling  and  distracted  multitude.  In 
the  front  was  carnage  and  confusion,  in  the  rear 
terror  and  fright ;  wherever  the  sacred  standard 
was  borne,  the  infidels  appeared  to  fall  before  it, 
as  if  smitten  by  some  invisible  hand  rather  than 
by  the  Christian  band. 

Early  in  the  fight  Pelayo  encountered  Ibrahim 
Alcamar.  They  fought  hand  to  hand  on  the 
border  of  the  pool  from  which  springs  the  river 
Deva,  and  the  Saracen  was  slain  upon  the  margin 
of  that  pool,  and  his  blood  mingled  with  its  wa- 
ters. 

When  the  Bishop  Oppas  beheld  this  he  would 
have  fled,  but  the  valley  was  closed  up  by  the 
mass  of  combatants,  and  Pelayo  overtook  him 
and  defied  him  to  the  fight.  But  the  bishop, 
though  armed,  was  as  craven  as  he  was  false,  and 
yielding  up  his  weapons  implored  for  mercy.  So 
Pelayo  spared  his  life,  but  sent  him  bound  to  the 
cavern. 

The  whole  Moorish  host  now  took  to  headlong 
flight.  Some  attempted  to  clamber  to  the  sum- 
mit of  the  mountains,  but  they  were  assailed  by 


A'HE  LEGEND   OF  PEL AT '0.  273 

the  troops  stationed  there  by  Pelayo,  who  show- 
ered down  darts  and  arrows  and  great  masses  of 
rock,  making  fearful  havoc. 

The  great  body  of  the  army  fled  by  the  road  lead- 
ing along  the  ledge  or  shelf  overhanging  the  deep 
ravine  of  the  Deva ;  but  as  they  crowded  in  one 
dense  multitude  upon  the  projecting  precipice,  the 
whole  mass  suddenly  gave  way,  and  horse  and 
horseman,  tree  and  rock,  were  precipitated  in  one 
tremendous  ruin  into  the  raging  river.  Thus  per- 
ished a  great  part  of  the  flying  army.  The  vener- 
able Bishop  Sebastiano,  who  records  this  event 
with  becoming  awe,  as  another  miracle  wrought 
in  favor  of  the  Christians,  assures  us  that,  in  his 
time,  many  years  afterwards,  when  during  the 
winter  season  the  Deva  would  swell  and  rage  and 
tear  away  its  banks,  spears  and  scimetars  and 
corselets,  and  the  mingled  bones  of  men  and 
steeds,  would  be  uncovered,  being  the  wrecks  and 
relics  of  the  Moslem  host,  thus  marvelously  de- 
stroyed.1 

1  Judicio  Domini  actum  est,  ut  ipsius  mentis  pars  se  a  fun- 
damentis  evolvens,  sexaginta  tria  millia  caldeorum  stupenter 
in  fultnina  projecit,  atque  eos  omnes  opressit.  Ubi  usque 
nunc  ipse  fluvius  duin  tempore  hyemali  alveum  suum  im- 
plet,  ripasque  dissoluit,  signa  armorum  et  ossa  eorum  eviden- 
tissime  ostendit.  —  Sebastianus  Salmanticensis  Episc. 

NOTE.  —  To  satisfy  all  doubts  with  respect  to  the  miracu- 
ious  banner  of  Pelayo,  that  precious  relic  is  still  preserved  in 
the  sacred  chamber  of  the  church  of  Oviedo,  richly  ornamented 
with  gold  and  precious  stones.  It  was  removed  to  that  place 
by  order  of  Alonzo  the  Third,  from  the  church  of  Santa  Cruz, 
near  Cangas,  which  was  erected  by  Favila,  the  son  and  succes- 
sor of  Pelayo,  in  memory  of  this  victory. 


CHAPTER   VI. 

Pelayo  becomes  King  of  Leon.  —  His  Death. 

JHEN  Pelayo  beheld  his  enemies  thus 
scattered  and  destroyed,  he  saw  that 
Heaven  was  on  his  side,  and  proceeded 
to  follow  up  his  victory.  Rearing  the  sacred 
banner,  he  descended  through  the  valleys  of  the 
Asturias,  his  army  augmenting,  like  a  mountain 
torrent,  as  it  rolled  along;  for  the  Christians 
saw  in  the  victory  of  Covadonga  a  miraculous 
interposition  of  Providence  in  behalf  of  ruined 
Spain,  and  hastened  from  all  parts  to  join  the 
standard  of  the  deliverer. 

Emboldened  by  numbers,  and  by  the  enthusi- 
asm of  his  troops,  Pelayo  directed  his  march  to- 
wards the  fortress  of  Gijon.  The  renegade  Ma- 
gued,  however,  did  not  await  his  coming.  His 
heart  failed  him  on  hearing  of  the  defeat  and 
death  of  Alcamar,  the  destruction  of  the  Moslem 
army,  and  the  augmenting  force  of  the  Chris- 
tians ;  and,  abandoning  his  post,  he  marched  to- 
wards Leon  with  the  greatest  part  of  his  troops. 
Pelayo  received  intelligence  of  his  movements, 
and  advancing  rapidly  through  the  mountains,  en- 
countered him  in  the  Valley  of  Ollalas.  A  bloody 
battle  ensued  on  the  banks  of  the  river  which 
flows  through  that  valley.  The  sacred  banner 


THE  LEGEND   OF  PELAYO.  275 

was  again  victorious ;  Magued  was  slain  by  the 
hand  of  Pelayo,  and  so  great  was  the  slaughter 
of  his  host,  that  for  two  days  the  river  ran  red 
with  the  blood  of  the  Saracens. 

From  hence,  Pelayo  proceeded  rapidly  to  Gi- 
jon,  which  he  easily  carried  by  assault.  The 
capture  of  this  important  fortress  gave  him  the 
command  of  the  seaboard,  and  of  the  skirts  of 
the  mountains.  While  reposing  himself  after  his 
victories,  the  Bishop  Oppas  was  brought  in  chains 
before  him,  and  the  Christian  troops  called  loudly 
for  the  death  of  that  traitor  and  apostate.  But 
Pelayo  recollected  that  he  had  been  a  sacred  dig- 
nitary of  the  Church,  and  regarded  him  as  a 
scourge  in  the  hand  of  Heaven  for  the  punish- 
ment of  Spain.  He  would  not,  therefore,  suffer 
violent  hands  to  be  laid  upon  him,  but  contented 
himself  with  placing  him  where  he  could  no 
longer  work  mischief.  He  accordingly  ordered 
him  to  be  confined  in  one  of  the  towers  of  Gijon, 
with  nothing  but  bread  and  water  for  his  subsist- 
ence. There  he  remained  a  prey  to  the  work- 
ings of  his  conscience,  which  filled  his  prison 
with  horrid  spectres  of  those  who  had  perished 
through  his  crimes.  He  heard  wailings  and  exe- 
crations in  the  sea-breeze  that  howled  round  the 
tower,  and  in  the  roaring  of  the  waves  that  beat 
against  its  foundations ;  and  in  a  little  time  he 
was  found  dead  in  his  dungeon,  hideously  dis- 
torted, as  if  he  had  died  in  agony  and  terror.1 

The  sacred  oanner  that  had  been  elevated  at 
Covadonga  never  sank  nor  receded,  but  continued 
l  La  Destruycion  de  Espaiia,  part  3. 


276  THE  LEGEND   OF  PELATO. 

to  be  the  beacon  of  deliverance  to  Spain.  Pe- 
layo  went  on  from  conquest  to  conquest,  increas- 
ing and  confirming  his  royal  power.  Having 
captured  the  city  of  Leon,  he  made  it  the  capital 
of  his  kingdom,  and  took  there  the  title  of  the 
King  of  Leon.  He  moreover  adopted  the  device 
of  the  city  for  his  arms  —  a  blood-red  lion  ram- 
pant, in  a  silver  field.  This  long  continued  to  be 
the  arms  of  Spain,  until  in  after  times  the  lion 
was  quartered  with  the  castle,  the  device  of  Bur- 
gos, capital  of  Old  Castile. 

"We  forbear  to  follow  this  patriot  prince 
through  the  rest  of  his  glorious  career.  Suffice 
it  to  say  that  he  reigned  long  and  prosperously  ; 
extending  on  all  sides  the  triumphs  of  his  arms  ; 
establishing  on  solid  foundations  the  reviving  em- 
pire of  Christian  Spain ;  and  that,  after  a  life  of 
constant  warfare,  he  died  in  peace  in  the  city  of 
Cangas,  and  lies  buried  with  his  queen,  Gaudiosa, 
in  the  church  of  Santa  Eulalia,  near  to  that  city. 

Here  ends  the  legend  of  Pelayo. 


ABDERAHMAN 


FOUNDER  OF  THE  DYNASTY  OF  THE  OMMTADES 
IN  SPAIN. 


[THE  Memoir  of  Abderatman,  the  founder  of  the  dynasty 
of  the  Ommiades  in  Spain,  was  published  in  the  "  Knicker- 
bocker Magazine  "  in  1840.  In  introducing  it  to  that  period- 
ical, the  author,  after  stating  that  he  had  conformed  to  the 
facts  furnished  by  the  Arabian  chronicles,  as  cited  by  Conde% 
remarks :  "  The  story  of  Abderahman  has  almost  the  charm 
of  romance;  but  it  derives  a  higher  interest  from  the  heroic, 
yet  gentle  virtues  which  it  illustrates,  and  from  recording  tho 
fortunes  of  the  founder  of  that  splendid  dynasty  which  shed 
such  a  lustre  upon  Spain  during  the  domination  of  the  Arabs." 
The  accomplished  Ford  says  of  the  history  of  Abderahman : 
"  No  fiction  of  romance  ever  surpassed  the  truth  of  his  event- 
ful life." 

The  present  Memoir  is  not  an  exact  reprint  of  the  article  in 
the  u  Knickerbocker,"  but  is  given  as  altered  from  that,  in 
1847,  when  the  author  was  thinking  of  preparing  for  the  press 
the  *'  Chronicle  of  the  Ommiades,"  embracing  the  whole  line 
which  he  had  "  roughly  sketched  out  at  Madrid  in  1827,  just 
after  he  had  finished  Columbus."  —  ED.] 


ABDERAHIAN, 

CHAPTER  I. 

Of  the  Youthful  Fortunes  of  Abderahman. 

JLESSED  be  God!  "exclaims  an  Ara- 
bian historian  ;  "  in  his  hands  alone  is 
the  destiny  of  princes.  He  overthrows 
the  mighty,  and  humbles  the  haughty  to  the 
dust;  and  he  raises  up  the  persecuted  and  af- 
flicted from  the  very  depths  of  despair  ! " 

The  illustrious  house  of  Orneya,  one  of  the 
two  lines  descended  from  Mahomet,  had  swayed 
the  sceptre  at  Damascus  for  nearly  a  century, 
when  a  rebellion  broke  out,  headed  by  Abu  al 
Abbas  Safah,  who  aspired  to  the  throne  of  the 
caliphs,  as  being  descended  from  Abbas,  the  uncle 
of  the  prophet.  The  rebellion  was  successful. 
Meruan,  the  last  caliph  of  the  house  of  Omeya, 
was  defeated  and  slain.  A  general  proscription 
of  the  Ommiades  took  place.  Many  of  them  fell 
in  battle ;  many  were  treacherously  slain  in 
places  where  they  had  taken  refuge ;  above  seventy, 
most  noble  and  distinguished,  were  murdered  at 
a  banquet  to  which  they  had  been  invited,  and 
their  dead  bodies,  covered  with  cloths,  were  made 


280  ABDERAHMAN. 

to  serve  as  tables  for  the  horrible  festivity 
Others  were  driven  forth,  forlorn  and  desolate 
wanderers  in  various  parts  of  the  earth,  and  pur- 
sued with  relentless  hatred  ;.  for  it  was  the  deter- 
mination of  the  usurper  that  not  one  of  the  per- 
secuted family  should  escape.  Abu  al  Abbas 
took  possession  of  three  stately  palaces,  and  deli- 
cious gardens,  and  founded  the  powerful  dynasty 
of  the  Abbassides,  which,  for  several  centuries, 
maintained  dominion  in  the  East. 

"  Blessed  be  God !  "  again  exclaims  the  Ara- 
bian historian ;  "  it  was  written  in  his  eternal 
decrees  that,  notwithstanding  the  fury  of  the 
Abbassides,  the  noble  stock  of  Omeya  should  not 
be  destroyed.  One  fruitful  branch  remained  to 
flourish  with  glory  and  greatness  in  another  land." 

When  the  sanguinary  proscription  of  the  Om- 
miades  took  place,  two  young  princes  of  that  line, 
brothers,  by  the  names  of  Solyman  and  Abde- 
rahman,  were  spared  for  a  time.  Their  personal 
graces,  noble  demeanor,  and  winning  affability, 
had  made  them  many  friends,  while  their  extreme 
youth  rendered  them  objects  of  but  little  dread 
to  the  usurper.  Their  safety,  however,  was  but 
transient.  In  a  little  while  the  suspicions  of  Abu 
al  Abbas  were  aroused.  The  unfortunate  Soly- 
man fell  beneath  the  scimetar  of  the  executioner. 
His  brother  Abderahman  was  warned  of  his 
danger  in  time.  Several  of  his  friends  hastened 
to  him,  bringing  him  jewels,  a  disguise,  and  a 
fleet  horse.  "  The  emissaries  of  the  caliph,"  said 
they,  **  are  in  search  of  thee ;  thy  brother  lies 
weltering  in  his  blood  ;  fly  to  the  desert !  There 
is  no  safety  for  thee  in  the  habitations  of  man  ! " 


ABDERAHMAN.  28l 

Abderahman  took  the  jewels,  clad  himself  in 
the  disguise,  and  mounting  the  steed,  fled  for  hia 
life.  As  he  passed,  a  lonely  fugitive,  by  the 
palaces  of  his  ancestors,  in  which  his  family  had 
long  held  sway,  their  very  walls  seemed  disposed 
to  betray  him,  as  they  echoed  the  swift  clattering 
of  his  steed. 

Abandoning  his  native  country,  Syria,  where 
he  was  liable  at  each  moment  to  be  recognized 
and  taken,  he  took  refuge  among  the  Bedouin 
Arabs,  a  half-savage  race  of  shepherds.  His 
youth,  his  inborn  majesty  and  grace,  and  the 
sweetness  and  affability  that  shone  forth  in  his 
azure  eyes,  won  the  hearts  of  these  wandering 
men.  He  was  but  twenty  years  of  age,  and  had 
been  reared  in  the  soft  luxury  of  a  palace ;  but 
he  was  tall  and  vigorous,  and  in  a  little  while 
hardened  himself  so  completely  to  the  rustic  life 
of  the  fields,  that  it  seemed  as  though  he  had 
passed  all  his  days  in  the  rude  simplicity  of  a 
shepherd's  cabin. 

His  enemies,  however,  were  upon  his  traces, 
and  gave  him  but  little  rest.  By  day  he  scoured 
the  plains  with  the  Bedouins,  hearing  in  every 
blast  the  sound  of  pursuit,  and  fancying  in  every 
distant  cloud  of  dust  a  troop  of  the  caliph's  horse- 
men. His  night  was  passed  in  broken  sleep  and 
frequent  watchings,  and  at  the  earliest  dawn  he 
was  the  first  to  put  the  bridle  to  his  steed. 

Wearied  by  these  perpetual  alarms,  he  bade 
farewell  to  his  friendly  Bedouins,  and  leaving 
Egypt  behind,  sought  a  safer  refuge  in  Western 
Africa.  The  province  of  Barca  was  at  that  time 


282  ABDERAHMAN. 

governed  by  Aben  Habib,  who  had  risen  to  rank 
and  fortune  under  the  fostering  favor  of  the  Om« 
miades.  "  Surely,"  thought  the  unhappy  prince. 
•'  I  shall  receive  kindness  and  protection  from  this 
man  ;  he  will  rejoice  to  show  his  gratitude  for 
the  benefits  showered  upon  him  by  my  kindred." 

Abderahman  was  young,  and  as  yet  knew  little 
of  mankind.  None  are  so  hostile  to  the  victim 
of  power  as  those  whom  he  has  befriended.  They 
fear  being  suspected  of  gratitude  by  his  perse- 
cutors, and  involved  in  his  misfortunes. 

The  unfortunate  Abderahman  had  halted  for  a 
few  days  to  repose  himself  among  a  horde  of  Bed- 
ouins, who  had  received  him  with  their  character- 
istic hospitality.  They  would  gather  round  him 
in  the  evenings  to  listen  to  his  conversation,  re- 
garding with  wonder  this  gently  spoken  stranger 
from  the  more  refined  country  of  Egypt.  The 
old  men  marveled  to  find  so  much  knowledge 
and  wisdom  in  such  early  youth,  and  the  young 
men,  won  by  his  frank  and  manly  carriage,  en- 
treated him  to  remain  among  them. 

In  the  mean  time  the  Wali  Aben  Habib,  like 
all  the  governors  of  distant  posts,  had  received 
orders  from  the  caliph  to  be  on  the  watch  for  the 
fugitive  prince.  Hearing  that  a  young  man  an- 
swering the  description  had  entered  the  province 
alone,  from  the  frontiers  of  Egypt,  on  a  steed 
worn  down  by  travel,  he  sent  forth  horsemen  in 
his  pursuit,  with  orders  to  bring  him  to  him  dead 
or  alive.  The  emissaries  of  the  wali  traced  him 
to  his  resting-place,  and  coming  upon  the  encamp- 
ment in  the  dead  of  the  night,  demanded  of  the 


ABDERAHMAN.  283 

Arabs  whether  a  young  man,  a  stranger  from 
Syria,  did  not  sojourn  among  their  tribe.  The 
Bedouins  knew  by  the  description  that  the 
stranger  must  be  their  guest,  and  feared  some  evil 
was  intended  him.  "  Such  a  youth,"  said  they, 
"  has  indeed  sojourned  among  us ;  but  he  has 
gone,  with  some  of  our  young  men,  to  a  distant 
valley  to  hunt  the  lion."  The  emissaries  in- 
quired the  way  to  the  place,  and  hastened  on  to 
surprise  their  expected  prey. 

The  Bedouins  repaired  to  Abderahman,  who 
was  still  sleeping.  "If  thou  hast  aught  to  fear 
from  man  in  power,"  said  they,  "  arise  and  fly ; 
for  the  horsemen  of  the  wali  are  in  quest  of  thee  ! 
We  have  sent  them  off  for  a  time  on  a  wrong 
errand,  but  they  will  soon  return." 

"  Alas  !  whither  shall  I  fly  ? "  cried  the  un- 
happy prince  ;  "  my  enemies  hunt  me  like  the 
ostrich  of  the  desert.  They  follow  me  like  the 
wind,  and  allow  me  neither  safety  nor  repose ! " 

Six  of  the  bravest  youths  of  the  tribe  stepped 
forward.  "  We  have  steeds,"  said  they,  "  that 
can  outstrip  the  wind,  and  hands  that  can  hurl 
the  javelin.  We  will  accompany  thee  in  thy 
flight,  and  will  fight  by  thy  side  while  life  lasts, 
and  we  have  weapons  to  wield." 

Abderahman  embraced  them  with  tears  of 
gratitude.  They  mounted  their  steeds,  and  made 
for  the  most  lonely  parts  of  the  desert.  By  the 
faint  light  of  the  stars,  they  passed  through  dreary 
wastes,  and  over  hills  of  sand.  The  lion  roared 
and  the  hyena  howled  unheeded,  for  they  fled 
from  man,  more  cruel  and  relentless,  when  in 


284  ABDERAHMAN. 

pursuit  of  blood,  than  the  savage  beasts  of  the 
desert. 

At  sunrise  they  paused  to  refresh  themselves 
beside  a  scanty  well,  surrounded  by  a  few  palm- 
trees.  One  of  the  young  Arabs  climbed  a  tree, 
and  looked  in  every  direction,  but  not  a  horseman 
was  to  be  seen. 

"  We  have  outstripped  pursuit,"  said  the  Bed- 
ouins ;  "  whither  shall  we  conduct  thee  ?  Where 
is  thy  home,  and  the  land  of  thy  people  ?  " 

"  Home  have  I  none ! "  replied  Abderahman, 
mournfully,  "  nor  family,  nor  kindred  !  My  native 
land  is  to  me  a  land  of  destruction,  and  my  peo- 
ple seek  my  life!" 

The  hearts  of  the  youthful  Bedouins  were 
touched  with  compassion  at  these  words,  and  they 
marveled  that  one  so  young  and  gentle  should 
have  suffered  such  great  sorrow  and  persecution. 

Abderahman  sat  by  the  well  and  mused  for  a 
time.  At  length,  breaking  silence,  "  In  the  midst 
of  Mauritania,"  said  he,  **  dwells  the  tribe  of 
Zeneta.  My  mother  was  of  that  tribe ;  and  per- 
haps when  her  son  presents  himself,  a  persecuted 
wanderer,  at  their  door,  they  will  not  turn  him 
from  the  threshold." 

"  The  Zenetes,"  replied  the  Bedouins,  "  are 
among  the  bravest  and  most  hospitable  of  the 
people  of  Africa.  Never  did  the  unfortunate 
seek  refuge  among  them  in  vain,  nor  was  the 
stranger  repulsed  from  their  door."  So  they 
mounted  their  steeds  with  renewed  spirits,  and 
journeyed  with  all  speed  to  Tahart,  the  capital  of 
the  Zenetes. 


ABDERAHMAN.  285 

When  Abderahman  entered  the  place,  followed 
by  his  six  rustic  Arabs,  all  wayworn  and  travel- 
stained,  his  noble  and  majestic  demeanor  shone 
through  the  simple  garb  of  a  Bedouin.  A  crowd 
gathered  around  him  as  he  alighted  from  his  weary 
steed.  Confiding  in  the  well-known  character  of 
the  tribe,  he  no  longer  attempted  concealment. 

"  You  behold  before  you,"  said  he,  "  one  of 
the  proscribed  house  of  Omeya.  I  am  that  Ab- 
derahman upon  whose  head  a  price  has  been  set, 
and  who  has  been  driven  from  land  to  land.  I 
come  to  you  as  my  kindred.  My  mother  was  of 
your  tribe,  and  she  told  me  with  her  dying  breath 
that  in  all  time  of  need  I  would  find  a  home  and 
friends  among  the  Zenetes." 

The  words  of  Abderahman  went  straight  to 
the  hearts  of  his  hearers.  They  pitied  his  youth 
and  his  great  misfortunes,  while  they  were  charmed 
by  his  frankness,  and  by  the  manly  graces  of  his 
person.  The  tribe  was  of  a  bold  and  generous 
spirit,  and  not  to  be  awed  by  the  frown  of  power. 
"  Evil  be  upon  us  and  upon  our  children,"  said 
they,  "  if  we  deceive  the  trust  thou  hast  placed 
in  us!" 

One  of  the  noblest,  Xeques,  then  took  Ab- 
derahman to  his  house,  and  treated  him  as  his  own 
child ;  and  the  principal  people  of  the  tribe  strove 
who  most  should  cherish  him  and  do  him  honor  — 
endeavoring  to  obliterate  by  their  kindness  the 
recollection  of  his  past  misfortunes. 

Abderahman  had  resided  some  time  among  the 
hospitable  Zenetes,  when  one  day  two  strangers 
of  venerable  appearance,  attended  by  a  small  ret* 


286  ABDERAHMAN. 

inue,  arrived  at  Tahart.  They  gave  themselves 
out  as  merchants,  and  from  the  simple  style  in 
which  they  travelled,  excited  no  attention.  In  a 
little  while  they  sought  out  Abderahman,  and, 
taking  him  apart,  "  Hearken,"  said  they,  "  Ab- 
derahman, of  the  royal  line  of  Omeya.  We  are 
ambassadors,  sent  on  the  part  of  the  principal 
Moslems  of  Spain,  to  offer  thee,  not  merely  an 
asylum,  for  that  thou  hast  already  among  these 
brave  Zenetes,  but  an  empire !  Spain  is  a  prey 
to  distracting  factions,  and  can  no  longer  exist  as 
a  dependence  upon  a  throne  too  remote  to  watch 
over  its  welfare.  It  needs  to  be  independent  of 
Asia  and  Africa,  and  to  be  under  the  government 
of  a  good  prince,  who  shall  reside  within  it  and 
devote  himself  entirely  to  its  prosperity  ;  a  prince 
with  sufficient  title  to  silence  all  rival  claims  and 
bring  the  warring  parties  into  unity  and  peace  ; 
and,  at  the  same  time,  with  sufficient  ability  and 
virtue  to  insure  the  welfare  of  his  dominions. 
For  this  purpose  the  eyes  of  all  the  honorable 
leaders  in  Spain  have  been  turned  to  thee  as  a 
descendant  of  the  royal  line  of  Omeya,  and  an 
offset  from  the  same  stock  as  our  holy  prophet. 
They  have  heard  of  thy  virtues,  and  of  thy  ad- 
mirable constancy  under  misfortunes  ;  and  invite 
thee  to  accept  the  sovereignty  of  one  of  the 
noblest  countries  in  the  world.  Thou  wilt  have 
Borne  difficulties  to  encounter  from  hostile  men ; 
but  thou  wilt  have  on  thy  side  the  bravest  cap- 
tains that  have  signalized  themselves  in  the  con- 
quest of  the  unbelievers." 

The  ambassadors  ceased,  and  Abderahman  re- 


ABDERAHMAN.  287 

mained  for  a  time  lost  in  wonder  and  admiration. 
"  God  is  great !  "  exclaimed  he,  at  length  ;  "  there 
is  but  one  God,  who  is  God,  and  Mahomet  is  his 
prophet !  Illustrious  ambassadors,  you  have  put 
new  life  into  my  soul,  for  you  have  shown  me 
something  to  live  for.  In  the  few  years  that  I 
have  lived,  troubles  and  sorrows  have  been  heaped 
upon  my  head,  and  I  have  become  inured  to  hard- 
ships and  alarms.  Since  it  is  the  wish  of  the 
valiant  Moslems  of  Spain,  I  am  willing  to  become 
their  leader  and  defender,  and  devote  myself  to 
their  cause,  be  it  happy  or  disastrous." 

The  ambassadors  now  cautioned  him  to  be 
silent  as  to  their  errand,  and  to  depart  secretly  for 
Spain.  "The  seaboard  of  Africa,"  said  they, 
"  swarms  with  your  enemies,  and  a  powerful  faction 
in  Spain  would  intercept  you  on  landing,  did  they 
know  your  name  and  rank,  and  the  object  of  your 
coming." 

But  Abderahman  replied :  "  I  have  been 
cherished  in  adversity  by  these  brave  Zenetes  ; 
I  have  been  protected  and  honored  by  them  when 
a  price  was  set  upon  my  head,  and  to  harbor  me 
was  great  peril.  How  can  I  keep  my  good 
fortune  from  my  benefactors,  and  desert  their 
hospitable  roofs  in  silence  ?  He  is  unworthy  of 
friendship  who  withholds  confidence  from  his 
friend." 

Charmed  with  the  generosity  of  his  feelings, 
the  ambassadors  made  no  opposition  to  his  wishes. 
The  Zenetes  proved  themselves  worthy  of  his 
confidence.  They  hailed  with  joy  the  great  change 
;u  his  fortunes.  The  warriors  and  the  young  men 


288  ABDERAHMAN. 

pressed  forward  to  follow  and  aid  them  with  boras 
and  weapon ;  "  for  the  honor  of  a  noble  house  and 
family,"  said  they,  "  can  be  maintained  only  by 
lances  and  horsemen."  In  a  few  days  he  set 
forth  with  the  ambassadors,  at  the  head  of  nearly 
a  thousand  horsemen,  skilled  in  war,  and  exercised 
in  the  desert,  and  a  large  body  of  infantry,  armed 
with  lances.  The  venerable  Xeque,  with  whom 
he  had  resided,  blessed  him,  and  shed  tears  over 
him  at  parting,  as  though  he  had  b.een  his  own 
child ;  and  when  the  youth  passed  over  the  thresh* 
old,  the  house  was  filled  with  lamentations. 


CHAPTER   II. 

Landing  of  Abderahman  in  Spain.  —  Condition  of  the  COUE- 
try. 

IBDERAHMAN  BEN  OMEYA  ar- 
rived in  safety  on  the  coast  of  Andalu- 
sia and  landed  at  Alinunecar,  or  Malaga, 
with  his  little  band  of  warlike  Zenetes.  Spain 
was  at  that  time  in  great  confusion.  Upwards  of 
forty  years  had  elapsed  since  the  Conquest.  The 
civil  wars  in  Syria  and  Egypt,  and  occasional  re- 
volts in  Africa,  had  caused  frequent  overflowings 
of  different  tribes  into  Spain,  which  was  a  place 
of  common  refuge.  Hither,  too,  came  the  frag- 
ments of  defeated  armies,  desperate  in  fortune, 
with  weapons  in  their  hands.  These  settled 
themselves  in  various  parts  of  the  peninsula, 
which  thus  became  divided  between  the  Arabs  of 
Yemen,  the  Egyptians,  the  Syrians,  and  the  Al- 
abdarides.  The  distractions  in  its  Eastern  and 
African  provinces  prevented  the  main  govern- 
ment at  Damascus  from  exercising  any  control 
over  its  distant  and  recently  acquired  territory  in 
Spain,  which  soon  became  broken  up  into  factions 
and  a  scene  of  all  kinds  of  abuses.  Every  sheik 
and  wali  considered  the  town  or  province  com- 
mitted to  his  charge  an  absolute  property,  and 
practiced  the  most  arbitrary  extortions.  These 
19 


290  ABDERAHMAN. 

excesses  at  length  became  insupportable,  and  at  a 
convocation  of  the  principal  leaders  it  was  deter- 
mined, as  a  means  of  ending  these  dissensions,  to 
unite  all  the  Moslem  provinces  of  the  peninsula 
under  one  emir,  or  general  governor.  Yusuf  el 
Fehri,  an  ancient  man  of  honorable  lineage, 
being  of  the  tribe  of  Koreish,  and  a  descendant 
of  Ocba,  the  conqueror  of  Africa,  was  chosen  for 
this  station.  He  began  his  reign  with  policy,  and 
endeavored  to  conciliate  all  parties.  •  At  the  head 
of  the  Egyptian  faction  was  a  veteran  warrior, 
named  Samael,  to  whom  Yusuf  gave  the  gov- 
ernment of  Toledo,  and  to  his  son  that  of  Sara- 
gossa.  At  the  head  of  the  Alabdarides  was  Amer 
ben  Amru,  Emir  of  the  Seas ;  his  office  being 
suppressed,  Yusuf  gave  him  in  place  thereof  the 
government  of  the  noble  city  of  Seville.  Thus 
he  proceeded,  distributing  honors  and  commands, 
and  flattered  himself  that  he  secured  the  loyalty 
and  good-will  of  every  one  .whom  he  benefited. 

Who  shall  pretend,  says  the  Arabian  sage,  to 
content  the  human  heart  by  benefits,  when  even 
the  bounties  of  Allah  are  ineffectual  ?  In  seek- 
ing to  befriend  all  parties,  Yusuf  created  for 
himself  inveterate  enemies.  Amer  ben  Amru, 
powerful  from  his  wealth  and  connections,  and 
proud  of  his  descent  from  Mosab,  the  standard- 
bearer  of  the  prophet  in  the  battle  of  Beder, 
was  indignant  that  Samael  and  his  son,  with 
whom  he  was  at  deadly  feud,  should  be  appointed 
to  such  important  commands.  He  demanded  one 
of  those  posts  for  himself,  and  was  refused.  An 
insurrection  and  a  civil  war  was  the  consequence: 


ABDERAHMAN.  291 

and  me  country  was  laid  waste  with  fire  and 
Bword,  The  inhabitants  of  the  villages  fled  to 
the  cities  for  refuge ;  flourishing  towns  disap- 
peared from  the  face  of  the  earth,  or  were  reduced 
to  heaps  of  rubbish. 

In  these  dismal  times,  say  the  Arabian  chroni- 
clers, the  very  heavens  gave  omens  of  the  dis- 
tress and  desolation  of  the  earth.  At  Cordova 
two  pale  and  livid  suns  were  seen  shedding  a 
baleful  light.  In  the  north  appeared  a  flaming 
scythe,  and  the  heavens  were  red  as  blood.  These 
were  regarded  as  presages  of  direful  calamities 
and  bloody  wars. 

At  the  time  of  the  landing  of  Abderahman  in. 
Spain,  Yusuf  had  captured  Saragossa,  in  which 
was  Amer  ben  Amru,  with  his  son  and  secretary, 
and  loading  them  with  chains  and  putting  them 
on  camels,  he  set  out  on  his  return  to  Cordova. 
He  had  halted  one  day  in  a  valley  called  Wadar- 
amla,  and  was  .reposing  with  his  family  in  his 
tent,  while  his  people  and  the  prisoners  made  a 
repast  in  the  open  air.  The  heart  of  the  old 
emir  was  lifted  up,  for  he  thought  there  was  no 
one  to  dispute  with  him  the  domination  of  Spain. 
In  the  midst  of  his  exultation  some  horsemen 
were  seen  spurring  up  the  valley,  bearing  the 
standard  of  the  Wali  Samael. 

That  officer  arrived,  covered  with  dust  and  ex- 
hausted with  fatigue.  He  brought  tidings  oi  the 
arrival  of  Abderahman,  and  that  the  whole  sea- 
board was  flocking  to  his  standard.  Messenger 
after  messenger  arrived  confirming  the  fearful 
tidings,  and  adding  that  this  descendant  of  tha 


292  ABDERAHMAN. 

Omeyas  Lad  been  secretly  invited  to  Spain  by 
Amru  and  his  party. 

Yusuf  waited  not  to  ascertain  the  truth  of  this 
accusation.  In  a  transport  of  fury  he  ordered 
that  Amru,  his  son,  and  secretary  should  be  cut 
to  pieces.  His  orders  were  instantly  executed  ; 
and  this  cruelty,  adds  the  Arabian  chronicler,  lost 
him  the  favor  of  Allah  ;  for  from  that  time  suc- 
cess deserted  his  standard. 


CHAPTER  III. 

Triumphs  of  Abderahman.  —  The  Palm-tree  which  he  plant- 
ed, and  the  Verses  he  composed  thereupon. — Insurrections.—- 
His  Enemies  subdued.  —  Undisputed  Sovereign  of  the  Mos- 
lems of  Spain.  —  Begins  th/.»  famous  Mosque  in  Cordova.  — 
His  Death. 

IBDERAHMAN  had  indeed  been  hailed 
with  joy  on  his  landing.  The  old  peo- 
ple hoped  to  find  tranquillity  under  the 
sway  of  one  supreme  chieftain,  descended  from 
their  ancient  caliphs ;  the  young  men  were  re- 
joiced to  have  a  youthful  warrior  to  lead  them  on 
to  victories ;  and  the  populace,  charmed  with  his 
freshness  and  manly  beauty,  his  majestic  yet 
gracious  and  affable  demeanor,  shouted,  "  Long 
live  Abderahman,  Miramarnolin  of  Spain  ! " 

In  a  few  days  the  youthful  sovereign  saw  him- 
self at  the  head  of  more  than  twenty  thousand 
men,  from  the  neighborhood  of  Elvira,  Almeria, 
Malaga,  Xeres,  and  Sidonia.  Fair  Seville  threw 
open  its  gates  at  his  approach,  and  celebrated  his 
arrival  with  public  rejoicings.  He  continued  his 
march  into  the  country,  vanquished  one  of  the 
sons  of  Yusuf  before  the  gates  of  Cordova,  and 
obliged  him  to  take  refuge  within  its  walls,  where 
he  held  him  in  close  siege.  Hearing,  however,  of 
the  approach  of  Yusuf,  the  father,  with  a  power- 
ful army,  he  divided  his  forces,  and  leaving  ten 


294  ABDERAHMAN. 

thousand  men  to  press  the  siege,  he  hastened  with 
the  other  ten  to  meet  the  coming  foe. 

Yusuf  had  indeed  mustered  a  formidable  force, 
from  the  east  and  south  of  Spain,  and  accom- 
panied by  his  veteran  general,  Samael,  came  with 
confident  boasting  to  drive  this  intruder  from  the 
land.  His  confidence  increased  on  beholding  the 
small  army  of  Abderahman.  Turning  to  Samael, 
he  repeated,  with  a  scornful  sneer,  a  verse  from 
an  Arabian  poetess,  which  says  :  — 

"How  hard  is  our  Jot!  We  come,  a  thirsty 
multitude,  and  lo !  but  this  cup  of  water  to  share 
among  us  !  " 

There  was  indeed  a  fearful  odds.  On  the  one 
side  were  two  veteran  generals,  grown  gray  in 
victory,  with  a  mighty  host  of  warriors,  seasoned 
in  the  wars  of  Spain.  On  the  other  side  was  a 
mere  youth,  scarce  attained  to  manhood,  with  a 
hasty  levy  of  half-disciplined  troops  ;  but  the  youth 
was  a  prince,  flushed  with  hope,  and  aspiring  after 
fame  and  empire,  and  surrounded  by  a  devoted 
baud  of  warriors  from  Africa,  whose  example  in- 
fused zeal  into  the  little  army. 

The  encounter  took  place  at  daybreak.  The 
impetuous  valor  of  the  Zeuetes  carried  everything 
before  it.  The  cavalry  of  Yusuf  was  broken  and 
driven  back  upon  the  infantry,  and  before  noon 
the  whole  host  was  put  to  headlong  flight.  Yusuf 
and  Samael  were  born  along  in  the  torrent  of  the 
fugitives,  raging  and  storming,  and  making  inef- 
fectual efforts  to  rally  them.  They  were  separated 
widely  in  the  confusion  of  the  flight,  one  taking 
refuge  iu  the  Algarves,  the  other  in  the  kingdom 


ABDERAHMAN.  295 

of  Murcia.  They  afterward  rallied,  reunited 
their  forces,  and  made  another  desperate  stand 
near  to  Almunecar.  The  battle  was  obstinate 
and  bloody,  but  they  were  again  defeated,  and 
driven,  with  a  handful  of  followers,  to  take  refuge 
in  the  rugged  mountains  adjacent  to  Elvira. 

The  spirit  of  the  veteran  Sarnael  gave  way  be- 
fore these  fearful  reverses.  "  In  vain,  O  Yusuf !  " 
said  he,  "  do  we  contend  with  the  prosperous  star 
of  this  youthful  conqueror ;  the  will  of  Allah  be 
done !  Let  us  submit  to  our  fate,  and  sue  for  fa- 
vorable terras  while  we  have  yet  the  means  of 
capitulation." 

It  was  a  hard  trial  for  the  proud  spirit  of  Yusuf, 
that  had  once  aspired  to  uncontrolled  sway ;  but 
he  was  compelled  to  capitulate.  Abderahman  was 
as  generous  as  brave.  He  granted  the  two  gray- 
headed  generals  the  most  honorable  conditions, 
and  even  took  the  veteran  Samael  into  favor,  em- 
ploying him,  as  a  mark  of  confidence,  to  visit  the 
eastern  provinces  of  Spain,  and  restore  them  to 
tranquillity.  Yusuf,  having  delivered  up  Elvira 
and  Granada,  and  complied  with  other  articles  of 
his  capitulation,  was  permitted  to  retire  to  Murcia, 
and  rejoin  his  son  Muhamad.  A  general  amnesty 
to  all  chiefs  and  soldiers  who  should  yield  up  their 
strongholds  and  lay  down  their  arms  completed 
the  triumph  of  Abderahman,  and  brought  all  hearts 
into  obedience.  Thus  terminated  this  severe  strug- 
gle for  the  domination  of  Spain  ;  and  thus  the  il- 
lustrious family  of  Omeya,  after  having  been  cast 
down  and  almost  exterminated  in  the  East,  took 
new  root,  and  sprang  forth  prosperously  in  the 
West. 


296  ABDERAHMAN. 

Wherever  Abderahman  appeared,  he  was  re- 
ceived with  rapturous  acclamations.  As  he  rode 
through  the  cities,  the  populace  rent  the  air  with 
shouts  of  joy ;  the  stately  palaces  were  crowded 
with  spectators,  eager  to  gain  a  sight  of  his  grace- 
ful form  and  beaming  countenance.;  and  when 
they  beheld  the  mingled  majesty  and  benignity  of 
their  new  monarch,  and  the  sweetness  and  gen- 
tleness of  his  whole  conduct,  they  extolled  him  as 
something  more  than  mortal,  —  as  a  beneficent 
genius,  sent  for  the  happiness  of  Spain. 

In  the  interval  of  peace  which  now  succeeded, 
Abderahman  occupied  himself  in  promoting  the 
useful  and  elegant  arts,  and  in  introducing  into 
jSpain  the  refinements  of  the  East.  Considering 
the  building  and  ornamenting  of  cities  as  among 
the  noblest  employments  of  the  tranquil  hours  of 
princes,  he  bestowed  great  pains  upon  beautifying 
the  city  of  Cordova  and  its  environs.  He  recon- 
structed banks  and  dykes  to  keep  the  Guadal- 
quivir from  overflowing  its  borders,  and  on  the 
vast  terraces  thus  formed  he  planted  delightful 
gardens.  In  the  midst  of  these  he  erected  a 
lofty  tower,  commanding  a  view  of  the  vast  and 
fruitful  valley,  enlivened  by  the  windings  of  the 
river.  In  this  tower  would  he  pass  hours  of 
meditation,  gazing  on  the  soft  and  varied  land- 
scape, and  inhaling  the  bland  and  balmy  airs  of 
that  delightful  region.  At  such  times  his  thoughts 
would  recur  to  the  past,  and  the  misfortunes  of  his 
youth ;  the  massacre  of  his  family  would  rise  to 
view,  mingled  with  tender  recollections  of  his  na- 
tive country,  from  which  he  was  exiled,  in 


ABDERAHMAN.  297 

these  melancholy  musings,  he  would  sit  with  hia 
eyes  fixed  upon  a  palm-tree  which  he  had  planted 
in  the  midst  of  his  garden.  It  is  said  to  have 
been  the  first  ever  planted  in  Spain,  and  to  have 
been  the  parent  stock  of  ail  the  palm-trees  which 
grace  the  southern  provinces  of  the  peninsula. 
The  heart  of  Abderahman  yearned  toward  this 
tree;  it  was  the  offspring  of  his  native  country, 
and  like  him  an  exile.  In  one  of  his  moods  of 
tenderness  he  composed  verses  upon  it,  which  have 
since  become  famous  throughout  the  world.  The 
following  is  a  rude  but  literal  translation  :  — 

"  Beauteous  palm  !  thou  also  wert  hither  brought 
a  stranger  ;  but  thy  roots  have  found  a  kindly  soil, 
thy  head  is  lifted  to  the  skies,  and  the  sweet  airs 
of  Algarve  fondle  and  kiss  thy  branches. 

"  Thou  hast  known,  like  me,  the  storms  of  ad- 
verse fortune.  Bitter  tears  wouldst  thou  shed, 
couldst  thou  feel  my  woes.  Repeated  griefs  have 
overwhelmed  me.  With  early  tears  I  bedewed 
the  palms  on  the  banks  of  the  Euphrates ;  but 
neither  tree  nor  river  heeded  my  sorrows,  when 
driven  by  cruel  fate  and  the  ferocious  Abu  al  Ab- 
bas, from  the  scenes  of  my  childhood  and  the  sweet 
objects  of  my  affection. 

"  To  thee  no  remembrance  remains  of  my  be- 
loved country ;  I,  unhappy !  can  never  recall  it 
without  tears  ! " 

The  generosity  of  Abderahman  to  his  van- 
quished foe  was  destined  to  be  abused.  The 
veteran  Yusuf,  in  visiting  certain  of  the  cities 
which  he  had  surrendered,  found  himself  sur- 
rounded by  zealous  partisans,  ready  to  peril  life  in 


298  ABDERAHMAN. 

his  service.  The  love  of  command  revived  in  hia 
bosom,  and  he  repented  the  facility  with  which  he 
had  suffered  himself  to  be  persuaded  to  submis- 
sion. Flushed  with  new  hopes  of  success,  he  caused 
arms  to  be  secretly  collected  and  deposited  in 
various  villages,  most  zealous  in  their  professions 
of  devotion,  and  raising  a  considerable  body  of 
troops,  seized  upon  the  castle  of  Alraodovar.  The 
rash  rebellion  was  short-lived.  At  the  first  ap- 
pearance of  an  army  sent  by  Abderahman,  and 
commanded  by  Abdelmelee,  governor  of  Seville, 
the  villages  which  had  so  recently  professed  loy- 
alty to  Yusuf,  hastened  to  declare  their  attachment 
to  the  monarch,  and  to  give  up  the  concealed  arms. 
Almodovar  was  soon  retaken,  and  Yusuf,  driven 
to  the  environs  of  Lorea,  was  surrounded  by  the 
cavalry  of  Abdelmelee.  The  veteran  endeavored 
to  cut  a  passage  through  the  enemy,  but  after  fight- 
ing with  desperate  fury,  and  with  a  force  of  arm 
incredible  in  one  of  his  age,  he  fell  beneath  blows 
from  weapons  of  all  kinds,  so  that  after  the  battle 
his  body  could  scarcely  be  recognized,  so  numerous 
were  the  wounds.  His  head  was  cut  off  and  sent 
to  Cordova,  where  it  was  placed  in  an  iron  cage, 
over  the  gate  of  the  city. 

The  old  lion  was  dead,  but  his  whelps  sur- 
vived. Yusuf  had  left  three  sons,  who  inherited 
his  warlike  spirit,  and  were  eager  to  revenge  his 
death.  Collecting  a  number  of  the  scattered  ad- 
herents of  their  house,  they  surprised  and  seized 
upon  Toledo  during  the  absence  of  Temam,  its 
wali  or  commander.  In  this  old  warrior  city, 
built  -ipon  a  rock,  and  almost  surrounded  by  the 


ABDERAHMAN.  299 

Tagus,  they  set  up  a  kind  of  robbor  hold,  scour- 
ing the  surrounding  country,  levying  tribute,  seiz- 
ing upon  horses,  and  compelling  the  peasantry  to 
join  their  standard.  Every  day  cavalcades  of 
horses  and  mules,  laden  with  spoil,  with  flocks 
of  sheep  and  droves  of  cattle,  came  pouring  over 
the  bridges  on  either  side  of  the  city,  and  throng- 
ing in  at  the  gates,  —  the  plunder  of  the  surround- 
ing country.  Those  of  the  inhabitants  who  were 
still  loyal  to  Abderahman  dared  not  lift  up  their 
voices,  for  men  of  the  sword  bore  sway.  At 
length  one  day,  when  the  sons  of  Yusuf,  with 
their  choicest  troops,  were  out  on  a  maraud,  the 
watchmen  on  the  towers  gave  the  alarm.  A  troop 
of  scattered  horsemen  were  spurring  wildly  toward 
the  gates.  The  banners  of  the  sons  of  Yusuf 
were  descried.  Two  of  them  spurred  into  the  city, 
followed  by  a  handful  of  warriors,  covered  with 
confusion  and  dismay.  They  had  been  encoun- 
tered and  defeated  by  the  Wali  Temarn,  and  one 
of  the  brothers  had  been  slain. 

The  gates  were  secured  in  all  haste,  and  the 
walls  were  scarcely  manned  when  Temam  ap- 
peared before  them  with  his  troops,  and  sum- 
moned the  city  to  surrender.  A  great  internal 
commotion  ensued  between  the  loyalists  and  the 
insurgents;  the  latter,  however,  had  weapons  in 
their  hands,  and  prevailed  ;  and  for  several  days, 
trusting  to  the  strength  of  their  rock-built  fortress, 
Ahey  set  the  wali  at  defiance.  At  length  some 
of  the  loyal  inhabitants  of  Toledo,  who  knew  all 
ts  secret  and  subterraneous  passages,  some  of 
which,  if  chroniclers  may  be  believed,  have  ex.- 


500  ABDERAHMAN. 


isted  since  the  days  of  Hercules,  if  not  of  Tubal 
Cain,  introduced  Temarn,  and  a  chosen  band  of 
his  warriors,  into  the  very  centre  of  the  city, 
where  they  suddenly  appeared  as  if  by  magic.  A 
panic  seized  upon  the  insurgents.  Some  sought 
safety  in  submission,  some  in  concealment,  some 
in  flight.  Casim,  one  of  the  sons  of  Yusuf,  es- 
caped in  disguise  ;  the  youngest,  unharmed,  was 
taken,  and  was  sent  captive  to  the  king,  accom- 
panied by  the  head  of  his  brother,  who  had  been 
slain  in  battle. 

When  Abderahman  beheld  the  youth  laden 
with  chains,  he  remembered  his  own  sufferings 
in  his  early  days,  and  had  compassion  on  him  ; 
but,  to  prevent  him  from  doing  further  mischief, 
he  imprisoned  him  in  a  tower  of  the  wall  of 
Cordova. 

In  the  mean  time,  Casim,  who  had  escaped, 
managed  to  raise  another  band  of  warriors.  Spain, 
in  all  ages  a  guerilla  country,  prone  to  partisan 
warfare  and  petty  maraud,  was  at  that  time  in- 
fested by  bands  of  licentious  troops,  who  had 
sprung  up  in  the  civil  contests  ;  their  only  object 
pillage,  their  only  dependence  the  sword,  and 
ready  to  flock  to  any  new  and  desperate  standard 
that  promised  the  greatest  license.  With  a  ruf- 
fian force  thus  levied,  Casim  scoured  the  country, 
took  Sidonia  by  storm,  and  surprised  Seville 
while  in  a  state  of  unsuspecting  security. 

Abderahman  put  himself  at  the  head  of  his 
faithful  Zenetes,  and  took  the  field  in  person.  By 
the  rapidity  of  his  movements  the  rebels  were 
defeated,  Sidonia  and  Seville  speedily  retaken, 


ABDERAHMAN.  301 

and  Casim  was  made  prisoner.  The  generosity 
of  Abderahman  was  again  exhibited  toward  this 
unfortunate  son  of  Yusuf.  He  spared  his  life, 
and  sent  him  to  be  confined  in  a  tower  at  Toledo. 

The  veteran  Samael  had  taken  no  part  in  these 
insurrections,  but  had  attended  faithfully  to  the 
affairs  intrusted  to  him  by  Abderahman.  The 
death  of  his  old  friend  and  colleague  Yusuf, 
however,  and  the  subsequent  disasters  of  his 
family,  filled  him  with  despondency.  Fearing  the 
inconstancy  of  fortune,  and  the  dangers  incident 
to  public  employ,  he  entreated  the  king  to  be 
permitted  to  retire  to  his  house  in  Seguenza,  and 
indulge  a  privacy  and  repose  suited  to  his  ad- 
vanced age.  His  prayer  was  granted.  The 
veteran  laid  by  his  arms,  battered  in  a  thousand 
conflicts  ;  hung  his  sword  and  lance  against  the 
wall,  and,  surrounded  by  a  few  friends,  gave  him- 
self up  apparently  to  the  sweets  of  quiet  and  un- 
ambitious leisure. 

Who  can  count,  however,  upon  the  tranquil 
content  of  a  heart  nurtured  amid  the  storms  of 
war  and  ambition  ?  Under  the  ashes  of  this  out- 
ward humility  were  glowing  the  coals  of  faction. 
In  his  seemingly  philosophical  retirement,  Samael 
was  concerting  with  his  friends  new  treason 
against  Abderahman.  His  plot  was  discovered  ; 
his  house  was  suddenly  surrounded  by  troops ; 
and  he  was  conveyed  to  a  tower  at  Toledo, 
where,  in  the  course  of  a  few  months,  he  died  in 
eaptivity. 

The  magnanimity  of  Abderahman  was  again 
put  to  the  proof  by  a  new  insurrection  at  Toledo, 


302  ABDERAEMAN. 

Hixem  ben  Adra,  a  relation  of  Yusuf,  seized 
upon  the  Alcazar,  or  citadel,  slew  several  of  the 
royal  adherents  of  the  king,  liberated  Casim  from 
his  tower,  and,  summoning  all  the  banditti  of  the 
country,  soon  mustered  a  force  of  ten  thousand 
men.  Abderahman  was  quickly  before  the  walls 
of  Toledo,  with  the  troops  of  Cordova  and  his 
devoted  Zenetes.  The  rebels  were  brought  to 
terms,  and  surrendered  the  city  on  promise  of 
general  pardon,  which  was  extended  even  to 
Hixem  and  Casim.  When  the  chieftains  saw 
Hixem  and  his  principal  confederates  in  the  power 
of  Abderahman,  they  advised  him  to  put  them 
all  to  death.  "  A  promise  given  to  traitors  and 
rebels,"  said  they,  "  is  not  binding  when  it  is  to 
the  interest  of  the  state  that  it  should  be  broken." 

"  No  !  "  replied  Abderahman,  "  if  the  safety 
of  my  throne  were  at  stake,  I  would  not  break 
my  word."  So  saying,  he  confirmed  the  amnesty, 
and  granted  Hixem  ben  Adra  a  worthless  life, 
to  be  employed  in  further  treason. 

Scarcely  had  Abderahman  returned  from 
this  expedition,  when  a  powerful  army,  sent  by 
the  caliph,  landed  from  Africa  on  the  coast  of 
the  Algarves.  The  commander,  Aly  ben  Mo- 
gueth,  Emir  of  Cairvan,  elevated  a  rich  banner 
which  he  had  received  from  the  hands  of  the 
caliph.  Wherever  he  went,  he  ordered  the  caliph 
of  the  East  to  be  proclaimed  by  sound  of  trumpet, 
denouncing  Abderahman  as  a  usurper,  the  vagrant 
member  of  a  family  proscribed  and  execrated  iii 
all  the  mosques  of  the  East. 

One  of  the  first  to  join  his  standard  was  Hixena 


»  ABDERAHMAN.  303 

ben  Adra,  so  recently  pardoned  by  Abderahman. 
He  seized  upon  the  citadel  of  Toledo,  and  repair- 
ing to  the  camp  of  Aly,  offered  to  deliver  the 
city  into  his  hands. 

Abderahman,  as  bold  in  war  as  he  was  gentle 
in  peace,  took  the  field  with  his  wonted  prompt- 
ness ;  overthrew  his  enemies  with  great  slaugh- 
ter; drove  some  to  the  sea-coast  to  regain  their 
ships,  and  others  to  the  mountains.  The  body 
of  Aly  was  found  on  the  field  of  battle.  Abde- 
rahman caused  the  head  to  be  struck  off,  and  con- 
veyed to  Cairvan,  were  it  was  affixed  at  night 
to  a  column  in  the  public  square,  with  this  in- 
scription, —  "  Thus  Abderahman,  the  descendant 
of  the  Omeyas,  punishes  the  rash  and  arrogant." 

Hixem  ben  Adra  escaped  from  the  field  of 
battle,  and  excited  further  troubles,  but  was 
eventually  captured  by  Abdelmelee,  who  ordered 
his  head  to  be  struck  off  on  the  spot,  lest  he 
should  again  be  spared  through  the  wonted  clem- 
ency of  Abderahman. 

Notwithstanding  these  signal  triumphs,  the 
reign  of  Abderahman  was  disturbed  by  further 
insurrections,  and  by  another  descent  from  Africa, 
but  he  was  victorious  over  them  all ;  striking  the 
roots  of  his  power  deeper  and  deeper  into  the 
land.  Under  his  sway,  the  government  of  Spain 
became  more  regular  and  consolidated,  and  ac- 
quired an  independence  of  the  empire  of  the  East. 
The  caliph  continued  to  be  considered  as  first 
pontiff  and  chief  of  the  religion,  but  he  ceased  to 
have  any  temporal  power  over  Spain. 

Having  again  an  interval  of  peace,  Abderahman 


304  ABDERAHMAN.  * 

devoted  himself  to  the  education  of  his  children. 
Suleiman,  the  eldest,  he  appointed  wali,  or 
governor,  of  Toledo  ;  Abdallah,  the  second,  was 
intrusted  with  the  command  of  Merida ;  but  the 
third  son,  Hixem,  was  the  delight  of  his  heart,  the 
son  of  Howara,  his  favorite  sultana  whom  he 
loved  throughout  life  with  the  utmost  tenderness. 
With  this  youth,  who  was  full  of  promise,  he  re- 
laxed from  the  fatigues  of  government ;  joining  in 
his  youthful  sports  amidst  the  delightful  gardens 
of  Cordova,  and  teaching  him  the  gentle  art  of 
falconry,  of  which  the  king  was  so  fond  that  he 
received  the  name  of  the  Falcon  of  Coraixi. 

While  Abderahman  was  thus  indulging  in  the 
gentle  propensities  of  his  nature,  mischief  was 
secretly  at  work.  Muhamad,  the  youngest  son 
of  Yusuf,  had  been  for  many  years  a  prisoner  in 
the  tower  of  Cordova.  Being  passive  and  re- 
signed, his  keepers  relaxed  their  vigilance,  and 
brought  him  forth  from  his  dungeon.  He  went 
groping  about,  however,  in  broad  daylight,  as  if 
still  in  the  darkness  of  his  tower.  His  guards 
watched  him  narrowly,  lest  this  should  be  a  de- 
ception, but  were  at  length  convinced  that  the 
long  absence  of  light  had  rendered  him  blind. 
They  now  permitted  him  to  descend  frequently  to 
the  lower  chambers  of  the  tower,  and  to  sleep 
there  occasionally  during  the  heats  of  summer. 
They  even  allowed  him  to  grope  his  way  to  the 
cistern,  in  quest  of  water  for  his  ablutions. 

A  year  passed  in  this  way,  without  anything 
to  excite  suspicion.  During  all  this  time,  how- 
ever, the  blindness  of  Muhamad  was  entirely  a 


ABDERAHMAN.  305 

deception  ;  and  he  was  concerting  a  plan  of  escape, 
through  the  aid  of  some  friends  of  his  father, 
who  found  means  to  visit  him  occasionally.  One 
sultry  evening  in  midsummer  the  guards  had  gone 
to  bathe  in  the  Guadalquivir,  leaving  Muharnad 
alone,  in  the  lower  chambers  of  the  tower.  No 
sooner  were  they  out  of  sight  and  hearing,  than 
he  hastened  to  a  window  of  the  staircase,  leading 
down  to  the  cistern,  lowered  himself  as  far  as  his 
arms  would  reach,  and  dropped  without  injury  to 
the  ground.  Plunging  into  the  Guadalquivir, 
he  swam  across  to  a  thick  grove  on  the  opposite 
side,  where  his  friends  were  waiting  to  receive 
him.  Here,  mounting  a  horse  which  they  had 
provided  for  an  event  of  the  kind,  he  fled  across 
the  country,  by  solitary  roads,  and  made  good  his 
escape  to  the  mountains  of  Jaen. 

The  guardians  of  the  tower  dreaded  for  some 
time  to  make  known  his  flight  to  Abderahman. 
When  at  length  it  was  told  to  him,  he  exclaimed,  — 
"  All  is  the  work  of  eternal  wisdom  ;  it  is  intended 
to  teach  us  that  we  cannot  benefit  the  wicked 
without  injuring  the  good.  The  flight  of  that 
blind  man  will  cause  much  trouble  and  blood- 
shed." 

His  predictions  were  verified.  Muhamad  reared 
the  standard  of  rebellion  in  the  mountains  ;  the 
seditious  and  discontented  of  all  kinds  hastened 
to  join  it,  together  with  soldiers  of  fortune,  or 
rather  wandering  banditti,  and  he  had  soon  six 
thousand  men,  well  armed,  hardy  in  habits,  and 
desperate  in  character.  His  brother  Casim  also 
reappeared  about  the  same  time,  in  the  mountains 


306  AEDERAEMAN. 

of  Honda,  at  the  head  of  a  daring  band,  that  laid 
all  the  neighboring  valleys  under  contribution. 

Abderahman  summoned  his  alcaids  from  then 
various  military  posts,  to  assist  in  driving  the 
rebels  from  their  mountain  fastnesses  into  the 
plains.  It  was  a  dangerous  and  protracted  toil, 
for  the  mountains  were  frightfully  wild  and  rug- 
ged. He  entered  them  with  a  powerful  host, 
driving  the  rebels  from  height  to  height,  and  valley 
to  valley,  and  harassing  them  by  a  galling  fire 
from  thousands  of  cross-bows.  At  length  a  de- 
cisive battle  took  place  near  the  river  Guadalemar. 
The  rebels  were  signally  defeated ;  four  thousand 
fell  in  action  ;  many  were  drowned  in  the  river, 
and  Muhamad,  with  a  few  horsemen,  escaped  to 
the  mountains  of  the  Algarves.  Here  he  was 
hunted  by  the  alcaids  from  one  desolate  retreat 
to  another ;  his  few  followers  grew  tired  of  shar- 
ing the  disastrous  fortunes  of  a  fated  man,  one  by 
one  deserted  him,  and  he  himself  deserted  the  re- 
mainder, fearing  they  might  give  him  up,  to  pur- 
chase their  own  pardon. 

Lonely  and  disguised,  he  plunged  into  the 
depths  of  the  forests,  or  lurked  in  dens  and  caverns 
like  a  famished  wolf,  often  casting  back  his 
thoughts  with  regret  to  the  time  of  his  captivity  in 
the  gloomy  tower  of  Cordova.  Hunger  at  length 
drove  him  to  Alarcon,  at  the  risk  of  being  dis- 
covered. Famine  and  misery,  however,  had  so 
wasted  and  changed  him,  that  he  was  not  rec- 
ognized. He  remained  nearly  a  year  in  Alarcon, 
unnoticed  and  unknown,  yet  constantly  torment- 
ing himself  with  the  dread  of  discovery,  and  with 


ABDERAHMAX.  307 

groundless  fears  of  the  vengeance  of  Abderahmari. 
Death  at  length  put  an  end  to  his  wretchedness. 

A  milder  fate  attended  his  brother  Casim. 
Being  defeated  in  the  mountains  of  Murcia,  he 
was  conducted  in  chains  to  Cordova.  On  coming 
into  the  presence  of  Abderahrnan,  his  once  fierce 
and  haughty  spirit,  broken  by  distress,  gave  way ; 
he  threw  himself  on  the  earth,  kissed  the  dust 
beneath  the  feet  of  the  king,  and  implored  his 
clemency.  The  benignant  heart  of  Abderahman 
was  filled  with  melancholy,  rather  than  exultation, 
at  beholding  this  wreck  of  the  once  haughty  family 
of  Yusuf  a  suppliant  at  his  feet,  and  suing  for 
mere  existence.  He  thought  upon  the  mutability 
of  Fortune,  and  felt  how  insecure  are  all  her 
favors.  He  raised  the  unhappy  Casirn  from  the 
earth,  ordered  his  irons  to  be  taken  off,  and,  not 
content  with  mere  forgiveness,  treated  him  with 
honor>  and  gave  him  possessions  in  Seville,  where 
he  might  live  in  state  conformable  to  the  ancient 
dignity  of  his  family.  •  Won  by  this  great  and 
persevering  magnanimity,  Casim  ever  after  re- 
mained one  of  the  most  devoted  of  his  subjects. 

All  the  enemies  of  Abderahman  were  at  length 
subdued;  he  reigned  undisputed  sovereign  of  the 
Moslems  of  Spain ;  and  so  benign  was  his  govern- 
ment, that  every  one  blessed  the  revival  of  the 
illustrious  line  of  Omeya.  He  was  at  all  times 
accessible  to  the  humblest  of  his  subjects ;  the 
poor  man  ever  found  in  him  a  friend,  and  the 
oppressed  a  protector.  He  improved  the  ad- 
ministration of  justice,  established  schools  for 
public  instruction,  encouraged  poets  and  meii  of 


308  ABDERAHMAN. 

letters,  and  cultivated  the  sciences.  He  built 
mosques  in  every  city  that  he  visited  ;  inculcated 
religion  by  example  as  well  as  by  precept ;  and 
celebrated  all  the  festivals  prescribed  by  the  Koran 
with  the  utmost  magnificence. 

As  a  monument  of  gratitude  to  God  for  the 
prosperity  with  which  he  had  been  favored,  he 
undertook  to  erect  a  mosque  in  his  favorite  city 
of  Cordova  that  should  rival  in  splendor  the 
great  mosque  of  Damascus,  and  excel  the  one 
recently  erected  in  Bagdad  by  the  Abassides,  the 
supplanters  of  his  family. 

It  is  said  that  he  himself  furnished  the  plan 
for  this  famous  edifice,  and  even  worked  on  it, 
with  his  own  hands,  one  hour  in  each  day,  to  tes- 
tify his  zeal  and  humility  in  the  service  of  God, 
and  to  animate  his  workmen.  He  did  not  live 
to  see  it  completed,  but  it  was  finished  according 
to  his  plans  by  his  son  Hixem.  When  finished, 
it  surpassed  the  most  splendid  mosques  of  the 
East.  It  was  six  hundred  feet  in  length,  and 
two  hundred  and  fifty  in  breadth.  Within  were 
twenty-eight  aisles,  crossed  by  nineteen,  supported 
by  a  thousand  and  ninety-three  columns  of  mar- 
ble. There  were  nineteen  portals,  covered  with 
plates  of  bronze,  of  rare  workmanship.  The 
principal  portal  was  covered  with  plates  of  gold. 
On  the  summit  of  the  grand  cupola  were  three 
gilt  balls,  surmounted  by  a  golden  pomegranate. 
At  night  the  mosque  was  illuminated  with  four 
thousand  seven  hundred  lamps,  and  great  sums 
were  expended  in  amber  and  aloes,  which  were 
burnt  as  j  erfumes.  The  m  >sque  remains  to  this 


ABDERAHMAN.  309 

day  shorn  of  its  ancient  splendor,  yet  stilJ  one  of 
the  grandest  Moslem  monuments  in  Spain. 

Finding  himself  advancing  in  years,  Abderah- 
man  assembled  in  his  capital  of  Cordova  the  prin- 
cipal governors  and  commanders  of  his  kingdom, 
and  in  presence  of  them  all,  with  great  solemnity, 
nominated  his  son  Hixem  as  the  successor  to  the 
throne.  All  present  made  an  oath  of  fealty  to 
Abderahman  during  his  life,  and  to  Hixem  after 
his  death.  The  prince  was  younger  than  his 
brothers,  Suleiman  and  Abdallah ;  but  he  was  the 
son  of  Howara,  the  tenderly  beloved  sultana  of 
Abderahman,  and  her  influence,  it  is  said,  gained 
him  this  preference. 

Within  a  few  months  afterward  Abderahman 
fell  grievously  sick  at  Merida.  Finding  his  end 
approaching,  he  summoned  Hixem  to  his  bedside. 
"  My  son,"  said  be,  "  the  angel  of  death  is  hover- 
ing over  me ;  treasure  up,  therefore,  in  thy  heart 
this  dying  counsel,  which  I  give  through  the 
great  love  I  bear  thee.  Remember  that  all  em- 
pire is  from  God,  who  gives  arid  takes  it  away, 
according  to  his  pleasure.  Since  God,  through 
his  divine  goodness,  has  given  us  regal  power  and 
authority,  let  us  do  his  holy  will,  which  is  nothing 
else  than  to  do  good  to  all  men,  and  especially  to 
those  committed  to  our  protection.  Render  equal 
justice,  my  son,  to  the  rich  and  the  poor,  and 
never  suffer  injustice  to  be  done  within  thy  do- 
minion, for  it  is  the  road  to  perdition.  Be  mer- 
ciful and  benignant  to  those  dependent  upon  thee. 
Confide  the  government  of  thy  cities  and  prov- 
inces to  men  of  worth  and  experience ;  punish 


310  ABDERAHMAN. 

without  compassion  those  ministers  who  opprew 
thy  people  with  exorbitant  exactions.  Pay  thy 
troops  punctually  ;  teach  them  to  feel  a  certainty 
in  thy  promises ;  command  them  with  gentleness 
but  firmness,  and  make  them  in  truth  the  defend- 
ers of  the  state,  not  its  destroyers.  Cultivate  un- 
ceasingly the  affections  of  thy  people ;  for  in  their 
good-will  consists  the  security  of  the  state,  in 
their  distrust  its  peril,  in  their  hatred  its  certain 
ruin.  Protect  the  husbandmen,  who  cultivate 
the  earth  and  yield  us  necessary  sustenance ; 
never  permit  their  fields  and  groves  and  gardens 
to  be  disturbed.  In  a  word,  act  in  such  wise  that 
thy  people  may  bless  thee,  and  may  enjoy,  under 
the  shadow  of  thy  wing,  a  secure  and  tranquil 
life.  In  this  consists  good  government ;  if  thou 
dost  practice  it,  thoa  wilt  be  happy  among  thy 
people,  and  renowned  throughout  the  world." 

Having  given  this  excellent  counsel,  the  good 
King  Abderahman  blessed  his  son  Hixem,  and 
shortly  after  died,  being  but  in  the  sixtieth  year 
of  age.  He  was  interred  with  great  pomp  ;  but 
the  highest  honors  that  distinguished  his  funeral 
were  the  tears  of  real  sorrow  shed  upon  his 
grave.  He  left  behind  him  a.  name  for  valor, 
justice,  and  magnanimity,  and  forever  famous  as 
being  the  founder  of  the  glorious  line  of  the  Om- 
miades  in  Spain* 


CHRONICLE  OF  FERNAN   GONZALEZ, 

COUNT  OF  CASTILE. 


CHRONICLE  OP  FERNAN  GONZALEZ, 

COUNT   OF  CASTILE. 

INTRODUCTION. 

|T  the  time  of  the  general  wreck  of  Spain 
by  the  sudden  tempest  of  Arab  invasion, 
many  of  the  inhabitants  took  refuge  in 
the  mountains  of  the  Asturias,  burying  them- 
selves in  narrow  valleys  difficult  of  access,  wher- 
ever a  constant  stream  of  water  afforded  a  green 
bosom  of  pasture-land  and  scanty  fields  for  culti- 
vation. For  mutual  protection  they  gathered  to- 
gether in  small  villages  called  castros,  or  castrellos, 
with  watch-towers  and  fortresses  on  impending 
cliffs,  in  which  they  might  shelter  and  defend  them- 
selves hi  case  of  sudden  inroad.  Thus  arose  the 
kingdom  of  the  Asturias,  subject  to  Pelayo  and 
the  kings  his  successors,  who  gradually  extended 
their  dominions,  built  towns  and  cities,  and  after 
a  time  fixed  their  seat  of  government  at  the 
city  of  Leon. 

An  important  part  of  the  region  over  which 
they  bore  sway  was  ancient  Cantabria,  extending 


314    CHRONICLE   OF  FERN  AN  GONZALEZ. 

from  the  Bay  of  Biscay  to  the  Duero,  and  called 
Castile  from  the  number  of  castles  with  which  it 
was  studded.  They  divided  it  into  seigniories,  over 
which  they  placed  civil  and  military  governors 
called  counts  —  a  title  said  to  be  derived  from  the 
Latin  comes,  a  companion,  the  person  enjoying  it 
being  admitted  to  the  familiar  companionship  of 
the  king,  entering  into  his  councils  in  time  of 
peace,  and  accompanying  him  to  the  field  in  time  of 
war.  The  title  of  count  was  therefore  more  dig- 
nified than  that  of  duke  in  the  time  of  the  Gothic 
kings. 

The  power  of  these  counts  increased  to  such  a 
degree  that  four  of  them  formed  a  league  to  de- 
clare themselves  independent  of  the  crown  of 
Leon.  Ordono  IT.,  who  was  then  king,  received 
notice  of  it,  and  got  them  into  his  power  by  force, 
as  some  assert,  but  as  others  maintain,  by  per- 
fidious artifice.  At  any  rate,  they  were  brought 
to  court,  convicted  of  treason,  and  publicly  be- 
headed. The  Castilians  flew  to  arms  to  revenge 
their  deaths.  Ordono  took  the  field  with  a  pow- 
erful army,  but  his  own  death  defeated  all  his  plans. 

The  Castilians  now  threw  off  allegiance  to  the 
kingdom  of  Leon,  and  elected  two  judges  to  rule 
over  them  —  one  in  a  civil,  the  other  in  a  mili- 
tary capacity.  The  first  who  filled  those  stations 
were  Nuno  Rasura  and  Lain  Calvo,  two  power- 
ful  nobles,  the  former  descended  from  Diego  Por- 
cello,  a  count  of  Lara  ;  the  latter,  ancestor  of  the 
renowned  Cid  Campeador. 

Nuno  Rasura,  the  civil  and  political  judge,  was 
succeeded  by  his  son  Gonzalez  Nuno,  who  mar- 


CHRONICLE  OF  FERN  AN  GONZALEZ.    315 

ried  Dona  Ximena,  a  daughter  of  one  of  the 
counts  of  Castile  put  to  death  by  Ordona  II. 
From  this  marriage  came  Fernan  Gonzalez,  the 
•ubject  of  the  following  chronicle. 


CHAPTER  I. 

Installation  of  Fernan  Gonzalez  as  Count  of  Castile.  His 
First  Campaign  against  the  Moors.  —  Victory  of  San  Quirce. 
—  How  the  Count  disposed  of  the  Spoils. 

I  HE  renowned  Fernan  Gonzalez,  the  most 
complete  hero  of  his  time,  was  born 
about  the  year  887.  Historians  trace 
his  descent  to  Nuno  Belchidez,  nephew  of  the 
Emperor  Charlemagne,  and  Dona  Sula  Bella, 
granddaughter  to  the  Prince  Don  Sancho,  rightful 
sovereign  of  Spain,  but  superseded  by  Roderick, 
the  last  of  the  Gothic  kings. 

Fernan  Gonzalez  was  hardily  educated  among 
the  mountains  in  a  strong  place  called  Maron,  in 
the  house  of  Martin  Gonzalez,  a  gallant  and 
veteran  cavalier.  From  his  earliest  years  he  was 
inured  to  all  kinds  of  toils  and  perils,  taught  to 
hunt,  to  hawk,  to  ride  the  great  horse,  to  manage 
sword,  lance,  and  buckler ;  in  a  word,  he  was  ac- 
complished in  all  the  noble  exercises  befitting  a 
cavalier. 

His  father  Gonzalvo  Nunez  died  in  903,  and 
his  elder  brother  Rodrigo  in  904,  without  issue ; 
and  such  was  the  admiration  already  entertained 
of  Fernan  Gonzalez  by  the  hardy  mountaineers 
and  old  Castilian  warriors,  that  though  scarce 


CHRONICLE  OF  FERN  AN  GONZALEZ.    317 

seventeen  years  of  age  he  was  unanimously 
elected  to  rule  over  them.  His  title  is  said  to 
have  been  Count,  Duke,  and  Consul,  under  the 
seigniory  of  Alonzo  the  Great,  King  of  Leon.  A 
cortes,  or  assemblage  of  the  nobility  and  chivalry 
of  Castile  and  of  the  mountains,  met  together  at 
the  recently  built  city  of  Burgos  to  do  honor  to 
his  installation.  Sebastian,  the  renowned  Bishop 
*f  Oca,  officiated. 

In  those  stern  days  of  Spain,  the  situation  of 
a  sovereign  was  not  that  of  silken  ease  and  idle 
ceremonial.  When  he  put  the  rich  crown  upon 
his  head,  he  encircled  it  likewise  with  shining 
steel.  With  the  sceptre  were  united  the  lance 
and  shield,  emblems  of  perpetual  war  against  the 
enemies  of  the  faith.  The  cortes  took  this  oc- 
casion to  pass  the  following  laws  for  the  govern- 
ment of  the  realm  :  — 

1.  Above  all  things  the  people  should  observe 
the  law  of  God,  the  canons  and  statutes  of  the 
holy  fathers,   the    liberty   and    privileges   of  the 
Church,  and  the  respect  due  to  its  ministers. 

2.  No  person  should  prosecute  another  out  of 
Castile  at  any  tribunal  of  justice   or  of   arms, 
under  pain  of  being  considered  a  stranger. 

3.  All  Jews  and  Moors  who  refused   to  ac- 
knowledge the  Christian  faith  should  depart  from 
Castile  within  two  months. 

4.  That  cavaliers  of  noble  blood  should  treat 
their  tenants  and  vassals  with  love  and  gentleness. 

5.  That  he  who  slew  another,  or    committed 
jmy   other    grave    offense,    should    make    equal 
measure  of  atonement. 


318     CHRONICLE  OF  FERN  AN  GONZALEZ. 

6.  That  no  one  should  take  the  property  of 
another;    but,   if  oppressed   by   poverty,  should 
come  to  the  count,  who  ought  to  be  as  a  father 
to  all. 

7.  That  all  should  unite  and  be  of  one  heart, 
and  aid  one  another  in  defense  of  their  faith  and 
of  their  country. 

Such  were  the  ordinances  of  the  ancient  Cortes 
of  Burgos ;  brief  and  simple,  and  easy  to  be  un- 
derstood ;  not,  as  at  the  present  day,  multifarious 
and  perplexed,  to  the  confusion  and  ruin  of  clients 
and  the  enrichment  of  lawyers. 

Scarce  was  the  installation  ended,  and  while 
Burgos  was  yet  abandoned  to  festivity,  the  young 
count,  with  the  impatient  ardor  of  youth,  caused 
the  trumpets  to  sound  through  the  streets  a  call 
to  arms.  A  captain  of  the  Moorish  king  of 
Toledo  was  ravaging  the  territory  of  Castile  at 
the  head  of  seven  thousand  troops,  and  against 
him  the  youthful  count  determined  to  make  his 
first  campaign.  In  the  spur  of  the  moment  but 
one  hundred  horsemen  and  fifteen  hundred  foot- 
soldiers  could  be  collected  ;  but  with  this  slender 
force  the  count  prepared  to  take  the  field.  Ruy 
Velazquez,  a  valiant  cavalier,  remonstrated  against 
such  rashness,  but  in  vain.  "  I  owe,"  said  the 
count,  "  a  death  to  the  grave  ;  the  debt  can  never 
be  paid  so  honorably  as  in  the  service  of  God 
and  my  country.  Let  every  one,  therefore, 
address  himself  heart  and  hand  to  this  enterprise  ; 
for  if  I  come  face  to  face  with  this  Moor,  I  will 
most  assuredly  give  him  battle."  So  saying,  he 
knelt  before  Bishop  Sebastian  of  Salamanca  and 


CHRONICLE  OF  FERN  AN  GONZALEZ.    319 

craved  his  benediction.  The  reverend  prelate 
invoked  on  his  head  the  blessing  and  protection 
of  Heaven,  for  his  heart  yearned  toward  him  ; 
but  when  he  saw  the  youthful  warrior  about  to 
depart,  he  kindled  as  it  were  with  a  holy  martial 
fire,  and  ordering  his  steed  to  be  saddled  he  sal- 
lied forth  with  him  to  the  wars. 

The  little  army  soon  came  upon  traces  of  the 
enemy  in  fields  laid  waste,  and  the  smoking  ruins 
of  villages  and  hamlets.  The  count  sent  out 
scouts  to  clamber  every  height  and  explore  every 
defile.  From  the  summit  of  a  hill  they  beheld 
the  Moors  encamped  in  a  valley  which  was 
covered  with  the  flocks  and  herds  swept  from  the 
neighboring  country.  The  camp  of  the  marauders 
was  formidable  as  to  numbers,  with  various 
standards  floating  in  the  breeze  ;  for  in  this  foray 
were  engaged  the  Moorish  chiefs  of  Saragossa, 
Denia,  and  Seville,  together  with  many  valiant 
Moslems  who  had  crossed  the  straits  from  Africa 
to  share  in  what  they  considered  a  holy  enter- 
prise. The  scouts  observed,  however,  that  the 
most  negligent  security  reigned  throughout  the 
camp ;  some  reposing,  others  feasting  and  revel- 
ing, all  evidently  considering  themselves  safe 
from  any  attack. 

Upon  hearing  this  the  count  led  his  men 
secretly  and  silently  to  the  assault,  and  came 
upon  the  Moors  in  the  midst  of  their  revelry, 
before  they  had  time  to  buckle  on  their  armor. 
The  infidels,  however,  made  a  brave  though  con- 
fused resistance  ;  the  camp  was  strewn  with  their 
dead ;  many  were  taken  prisoners,  and  the  rest 


320     CHRONICLE   OF  FERN  AN   GONZALEZ. 

began  to  falter.  The  count  killed  their  captain- 
general  with  his  own  hand,  in  single  fight,  a?1  he 
was  bravely  rallying  his  troops.  Upon  seeing 
him  fall,  the  Moors  threw  down  their  weapons 
and  fled. 

Immense  booty  was  found  in  the  Moorish  camp, 

—  partly  the  rich  arms  and   equipments  of  the 
infidel  warriors,  partly  the  plunder  of  the  country 
An  ordinary  victor  would    have    merely  shared 
the  spoils  with  his  soldiery,  but  the  count  was  as 
pious  as  he  was  brave,  and,  moreover,  had  by  his 
side  the  venerable  Bishop  of  Salamanca  as  coun- 
selor.      Contenting  himself,  therefore,  with  dis- 
tributing one  third  among  his   soldiery,  he  shared 
the  rest  with  God,  devoting  a  large  part  to  the 
Church,  and  to  the  relief  of  souls  in  purgatory 

—  a  pious  custom,  which  he  ever  after  observed. 
He  moreover  founded  a  church  on  the  field  of 
battle,  dedicated  to  St.  Quirce,  on  whose  festival 
(the  16th  July)  this  victory  was  obtained.     To 
this  church  was  subsequently  added  a  monastery 
where  a  worthy  fraternity  of  monks  were  main- 
tained in  the  odor  of  sanctity,  to  perpetuate  the 
memory  of  this  victory.     All  this  was  doubtless 
owing  to  the  providential  presence   of  the  good 
bishop  on  this  occasion ;  and  this  is  one  instance 
of  the  great  benefit  derived  from   those  priests 
and  monks  and   other  purveyors  of  the  Church, 
who  hovered  about  the  Christian  camps  through- 
out all  these  wars  with  the  infidels. 


CHAPTER  II. 

Of  the  Sally  from  Burgos  and  Surprise  of  the  Castle  of 
Lara.  —  Capitulation  of  the  Town.  —  Visit  to  Alfonzo  tha 
Great,  King  of  Leon. 

10UNT    FERNAN    GONZALEZ    did 

not  remain  idle  after  the  victory  of  San 
Quirce.  There  was  at  this  time  an  old 
castle,  strong  but  much  battered  in  the  wars, 
which  protected  a  small  town,  the  remains  of  the 
once  flourishing  city  of  Lara.  It  was  the  ancient 
domain  of  his  family,  but  was  at  present  in  pos- 
session of  the  Moors.  In  sooth  it  had  repeatedly 
been  taken  and  retaken  ;  for  in  those  iron  days 
no  castle  nor  fortress  remained  long  under  the 
same  masters.  One  year  it  was  in  the  hands  of 
the  Christians  ;  the  next,  of  the  Moors.  Some 
of  these  castles,  with  their  dependent  towns,  were 
Backed,  burnt,  and  demolished ;  others  remained 
silent  and  deserted,  their  original  owners  fearing 
to  reside  in  them ;  and  their  ruined  towers  were 
only  tenanted  by  bats  and  owls  and  screaming 
birds  of  prey.  Lara  had  lain  for  a  time  in  ruins 
after  being  captured  by  the  Moors,  but  had  been 
rebuilt  by  them  with  diminished  grandeur,  and 
they  held  a  strong  garrison  in  the  castle,  whence 
they  sallied  forth  occasionally  to  ravage  the  lands 
of  the  Christians.  The  Moorish  chieftain  of 
21 


322     CHRONICLE   OF  FERN  AN  GONZALEZ. 

Lara,  as  has  been  observed,  was  among  the  asso 
ciated  marauders  who  had  been  routed  in  the 
battle  of  San  Quirce ;  and  the  Count  Fernan 
Gonzalez  thought  this  a  favorable  time  to  strike 
for  the  recovery  of  his  family  domain,  now  that 
the  infidel  possessor  was  weakened  by  defeat  and 
could  receive  no  succor. 

Appointing  Rodrigo  Velasquez  and  the  Count 
Don  Vela  Alvarez  to  act  as  governors  of  Castile 
during  his  absence,  the  count  sallied  forth  from 
Burgos  with  a  brilliant  train  of  chivalry.  Among 
the  distinguished  cavaliers  who  attended  him  were 
Martin  Gonzalez,  Don  Gustios  Gonzalez,  Don 
Velasco,  and  Don  Lope  de  Biscaya,  which  last 
brought  a  goodly  band  of  stout  Biscayans.  The 
alfarez,  or  standard-bearer,  was  Orbita  Velasquez, 
who  had  distinguished  himself  in  the  battle  of 
San  Quirce.  He  bore  as  a  standard  a  great  cross 
of  silver,  which  shone  gloriously  in  front  of  the 
host,  and  is  preserved,  even  to  the  present  day, 
in  the  church  of  San  Pedro  de  Arlanza.  One 
hundred  and  fifty  noble  cavaliers,  well  armed  and 
mounted,  with  many  esquires  and  pages  of  the 
lance,  and  three  thousand  foot-soldiers,  all  picked 
men,  formed  this  small  but  stout-hearted  army. 

The  count  led  his  troops  with  such  caution  that 
they  arrived  in  the  neighborhood  of  Lara  with- 
out being  discovered.  It  was  the  vigil  of  St. 
John ;  the  country  was  wrapped  in  evening 
shadows,  and  the  count  was  enabled  to  approach 
near  to  the  place  to  make  his  observations.  He 
perceived  that  his  force  was  too  inconsiderable  to 
invest  the  town  and  fortress.  Besides,  about  two 


CHRONICLE  OF  FERN  AN   GONZALEZ.    32S 

leagues  distant  was  the  gaunt  and  rock- built  cas- 
tle of  Carazo,  a  presidio  or  stronghold  of  the 
Moors,  whence  he  might  be  attacked  in  the  rear, 
should  he  linger  before  the  fortress.  It  was  evi- 
dent, therefore,  that  whatever  was  to  be  effected 
must  be  done  promptly  and  by  sudden  surprise. 
Revolving  these  things  in  his  mind  he  put  his 
troops  in  ambush  in  a  deep  ravine  where  they 
took  their  rest,  while  he  kept  watch  upon  the 
castle;  maturing  his  plans  against  the  morrow. 
In  this  way  he  passed  his  midsummer's  night,  the 
vigil  of  the  blessed  St.  John. 

The  festival  of  St.  John  is  observed  as  well  by 
Mahometans  as  Christians.  During  the  night  the 
bonfires  blazed  on  the  hill-tops  and  the  sound  of 
music  and  festivity  was  heard  from  within  the 
town.  When  the  rising  sun  shone  along  the  val- 
ley of  the  Arlanza  the  Moors  in  the  castle,  un- 
suspicious of  any  lurking  danger,  threw  open  the 
gates  and  issued  forth  to  recreate  themselves  in 
the  green  fields  and  along  the  banks  of  the  river. 
When  they  had  proceeded  to  a  considerable  dis- 
tance, and  a  hill  shut  them  from  view,  the  count 
with  his  eager  followers  issued  silently  but  swiftly 
from  their  hiding-place  and  made  directly  foi  the 
castle.  On  the  way  they  met  with  another  band 
of  Moors  who  had  likewise  come  forth  for  amuse- 
ment. The  count  struck  the  leader  to  the  earth 
with  one  blow  of  his  lance ;  the  rest  were  either 
slain  or  taken  prisoners  ;  so  that  not  one  escaped 
to  give  the  alarm. 

Those  of  the  garrison  who  had  remained  in  the 
castle,  seeing  a  Christian  force  rushing  up  to  the 


324    CHRONICLE   OF  FERN  AN  GONZALEZ 

very  walls,  hastened  to  close  the  gates,  but  it  r-.r 
too  late.  The  count  and  his  cavaliers  burst  them 
open  and  put  every  one  to  the  sword  who  made 
opposition.  Leaving  Don  Velasco  and  a  number 
of  soldiers  to  guard  the  castle,  the  count  hastened 
with  the  rest  in  pursuit  of  the  Moors  who  were 
solemnizing  the  day  on  the  banks  of  the  Arlanza. 
Some  were  reclining  on  the  grass,  others  were 
amusing  themselves  with  music  and  the  popular 
dance  of  the  Zambra,  while  their  arms  lay  scat- 
tered among  the  herbage. 

At  sight  of  the  Christians,  they  snatched  up 
their  weapons  and  made  a  desperate  though  vain 
resistance.  Within  two  hours  almost  all  were 
either  slain  or  captured  ;  a  few  escaped  to  the 
neighboring  mountains  of  Carazo.  The  town, 
seeing  the  castle  in  the  hands  of  the  Christians, 
and  the  garrison  routed  and  destroyed,  readily 
capitulated  ;  and  the  inhabitants  were  permitted 
to  retain  unmolested  possession  of  their  houses, 
on  agreeing  to  pay  to  the  count  the  same  tribute 
which  had  been  exacted  from  them  by  the  Moor- 
ish king.  Don  Velasco  was  left  alcaid  of  the 
fortress,  and  the  count  returned,  covered  with 
glory,  to  his  capital  of  Burgos. 

The  brilliant  victories  and  hardy  deeds  of  arms 
with  which  the  youthful  Count  of  Castile  had 
commenced  his  reign  excited  the  admiration  of 
Alonzo  the  Great,  King  of  Leon,  and  he  sent 
missives  urging  him  to  appear  at  his  royal  court. 
The  count  accordingly  set  forth  with  a  cavalcade 
of  his  most  approved  knights  and  many  of  his 
relatives,  sumptuously  armed  and  arrayed  and 


CHRONICLE   OF  FERN  AN  GONZALEZ.    325 

mounted  on  steeds  richly  caparisoned.  It  was  a 
pageant  befitting  a  young  and  magnificent  chief, 
in  the  freshness  and  pleasance  of  his  years. 

The  king  came  out  of  the  city  to  meet  him,  at- 
tended by  all  the  pomp  and  grandeur  of  his  court. 
The  count  alighted,  and  approached  to  kiss  the 
king's  hand  ;  but  Alfonso  alighted  also,  and  em- 
braced him  with  great  affection,  and  the  friend- 
ship of  these  illustrious  princes  continued  without 
interruption  throughout  the  life  of  the  king. 


CHAPTER  III. 

Expedition  against  the  Fortress  of  Mugnon.—  Desperate  De- 
fense of  the  Moors.  —  Enterprise  against  Castro  Xeriz. 

|  ANY  are  the  doughty  achievements  re- 
corded in  ancient  chronicles  of  this  most 
valorous  cavalier;  among  others  is  his 
expedition,  with  a  chosen  band,  against  the  castle 
of  Mugnon,  a  place  of  great  importance,  which 
stood  at  no  great  distance  from  Burgos.  He  sal- 
lied from  his  capital  in  an  opposite  direction,  to 
delude  the  Moorish  scouts  ;  but  making  a  sudden 
turn,  came  upon  the  fortress  by  surprise,  broke 
down  the  gates,  and  forced  his  way  in  at  the  head 
of  his  troops,  having  nothing  but  a  dagger  in  his 
hand,  his  lance  and  sword  having  been  broken  in 
the  assault.  The  Moors  fought  desperately  from 
court  to  tower,  from  tower  to  wall ;  and  when 
they  saw  all  resistance  vain,  many  threw  them- 
selves from  the  battlements  into  the  ditch  rather 
than  be  made  captives.  Leaving  a  strong  gar- 
rison in  the  place,  the  count  returned  to  Burgos 
His  next  enterprise  was  against  Castro  Xeriz, 
a  city  with  a  strong  castle,  which  had  been  a 
thorn  in  the  side  of  Castile  —  the  Moorish  garrison 
often  sweeping  the  road  between  Burgos  and 


CHRONICLE   OF  FERN  AN  GONZALEZ.    327 

Leon,  carrying  off  travellers,  capturing  cattle, 
and  plundering  convoys  of  provisions  and  mer- 
chandise. The  count  advanced  against  this  place 
in  open  day,  ravaging  the  country  and  announcing 
his  approach  by  clouds  of  smoke  from  the  burn- 
ing habitations  of  the  Moors.  Abdallah,  the  al- 
caid  of  the  fortress,  would  have  made  peace,  but 
the  count  refused  all  terms.  "  God,"  said  he, 
"  has  appointed  me  to  rescue  his  holy  inheritance 
from  the  power  of  infidels ;  nothing  is  to  be  nego- 
tiated but  by  the  edge  of  the  sword." 

Abdallah  then  made  a  sally  with  a  chosen  band 
of  his  cavaliers.  They  at  first  careered  lightly 
with  their  Arabians  steeds  and  launched  their 
Moorish  darts,  but  the  Christians  closed  in  the 
old  Gothic  style,  fighting  hand  to  hand.  Abdal- 
lah fell  by  the  sword  of  the  count,  and  his  follow- 
ers fled  with  loosened  reins  back  to  the  city.  The 
Christians  followed  hard  upon  them,  strewing  the 
ground  with  dead.  At  the  gate  of  the  city  they 
were  met  by  Almondir,  the  son  of  Abdallah,  who 
disputed  the  gateway  and  the  street  inch  by  inch, 
until  the  whole  place  ran  with  blood.  The  Moors, 
driven  from  the  streets,  took  refuge  in  the  castle, 
where  Almondir  inspirited  them  to  a  desperate 
defense,  until  a  stone  struck  him  as  he  stood  on 
the  battlements,  and  he  fell  to  the  earth  dead. 
Having  no  leader  to  direct  them,  the  Moors  sur- 
rendered. When  tne  town  was  cleared  of  the 
dead  and  order  restored,  the  count  divided  the 
Bpoils  —  allotting  the  houses  among  his  followers, 
and  peopling  the  place  with  Christians.  He  gave 
the  command  of  it  to  Layn  Bermudez,  with  the 


328     CHRONICLE  OF  FERN  AN  GONZALEZ. 

title  of  count.  From  him  descended  an  illustri. 
ous  line  of  cavaliers  termed  de  Castro,  whose  male 
line  became  extinct  in  JCastile,  but  continued  to 
flourish  in  Portugal.  The  place  is  said  to  have 
been  called  Castro  Xeriz,  in  consequence  of  the 
blood  shed  in  this  conflict  —  xeriz,  in  the  Arabic 
Language  signifying  bloody. 1 

1  Sandoval,  p.  301. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

How  the  Count  of  Castile  and  the  King  of  Leon  make  a  Tri 
umphant  Foray  into  the  Moorish  Country.  —  Capture  of 
Salamanca.  —  Of  the  Challenge  brought  by  the  Herald 
and  of  the  Count's  Defiance. 

IOUNT  FERNAN  GONZALEZ  was 
restless,  daring,  and  impetuous ;  he  sel- 
dom suffered  lance  to  rest  on  wall  or 
steed  in  stable,  and  no  Moorish  commander  could 
sleep  in  quiet  who  held  town  or  tower  in  his  neigh- 
borhood. King  Alonzo  the  Great  became  emulous 
of  sharing  in  his  achievements,  and  they  made  a 
campaign  together  against  the  Moors.  The  count 
brought  a  splendid  array  of  Castilian  chivalry  into 
the  field,  together  with  a  host  of  Montaneses, 
hardy  and  vigorous  troops  from  the  Asturias,  ex- 
cellent for  marauding  warfare.  The  King  of 
Leon  brought  his  veteran  bands,  seasoned  to  bat- 
tle. With  their  united  forces  they  ravaged  the 
Moorish  country,  marking  their  way  with  havoc 
and  devastation ;  arrived  before  Salamanca,  they 
took  that  city  by  storm  after  a  brave  defense,  and 
gave  it  up  to  be  sacked  by  the  soldiery.  After 
which  such  of  the  Moors  as  chose  to  remain  in  it 
were  suffered  to  retain  their  possessions  as  vassals 
to  the  king.  Having  accomplished  this  triumphant 
foray,  they  returned,  each  one  to  his  capital. 


330     CHRONICLE   OF  FERN  AN  GONZALEZ. 

The  Count  of  Castile  did  not  repose  long  in 
his  palace.  One  day  a  Moorish  herald  magni 
ficently  dressed,  rode  into  the  city  of  Burgos, 
bringing  Fernan  Gonzalez  a  cartel  of  defiance. 
It  was  from  a  vaunting  Moor  named  Acefali,  who 
had  entered  the  territories  of  Castile  with  a  pow- 
erful force  of  horse  and  foot,  giving  out  that  he 
had  come  to  measure  strength  and  prowess  with 
the  count  in  battle.  Don  Fernan  Gonzalez  re- 
plied to  the  defiance  with  weapon  in  hand  at  the 
head  of  his  warriors.  A  pitched  battle  ensued, 
which  lasted  from  early  morn  until  evening  twi- 
light. In  the  course  of  the  fight  the  count  was 
in  imminent  peril,  his  horse  being  killed  under 
him  and  himself  surrounded,  but  he  was  rescued 
by  his  cavaliers.  After  great  bloodshed,  the 
Moors  were  routed  and  pursued  beyond  the  bor- 
ders. The  spoil  gained  in  this  battle  was  de- 
voutly expended  in  repairing  the  churches  of  Cas- 
tile and  the  Montaneses. 


CHAPTER  V. 

A.  Night  Assault  upon  the  Castle  of  Carazo.  —  The  Moons* 
Maiden  who  betrayed  the  Garrison. 

|N  those  warlike  times  of  Spain  every  one 
lived  with  sword  in  hand ;  there  was 
scarcely  a  commanding  cliff  or  hill-top 
but  had  its  castle.  Moors  and  Christians  re- 
garded each  other  from  rival  towers  and  battle- 
ments perched  on  opposite  heights,  and  were 
incessantly  contending  for  the  dominion  of  the 
valleys. 

We  have  seen  that  Count  Fernan  Gonzalez 
had  regained  possession  of  the  ancient  town  and 
fortress  of  Lara,  the  domain  of  his  ancestors  ;  but 
it  will  be  recollected  that  within  two  leagues' 
distance  stood  the  Moorish  presidio  of  Carazo.  It 
was  perched  like  an  eagle's  nest  on  the  summit  of 
a  mountain,  and  the  cragged  steepness  of  its  posi- 
tion, and  its  high  and  thick  walls  seemed  to  render 
it  proof  against  all  assault.  The  Moors  who  gar- 
risoned it  were  fierce  marauders,  who  used  to 
Bweep  down  like  birds  of  prey  from  their  lofty  nest, 
pounce  upon  the  flocks  and  dwellings  of  the  Chris- 
tians, make  hasty  ravages,  and  bear  away  their 
spoils  to  the  mountain-top.  There  was  no  living 
with  safety  or  tranquillity  within  the  scope  of  thei* 
maraudings. 


332     CHRONICLE   OF  FERN  AN  GONZALEZ. 

Intelligence  of  their  misdeeds  was  brought  ^ 
the  count  at  Burgos.  He  determined  to  have 
that  castle  of  Carazo,  whatever  might  be  the  cost : 
for  this  purpose  he  called  a  council  of  his  chosen 
cavaliers.  He  did  not  conceal  the  peril  of  the 
enterprise,  from  the  crag-built  situation  of  the  cas- 
tle, its  great  strength,  and  the  vigilance  and  valor 
of  its  garrison.  Still  the  Castilian  cavaliers  of- 
fered themselves  to  carry  the  fortress  or  die. 

The  count  sallied  secretly  from  Burgos  with  a 
select  force,  and  repaired  in  the  night-time  to  Lara, 
that  the  Moors  might  have  no  intimation  nor 
suspicion  of  his  design.  In  the  midst  of  the  next 
night,  the  castle  gate  was  quietly  opened  and  they 
issued  forth  as  silently  as  possible,  pursuing  their 
course  in  the  deep  shadows  of  the  valley  until 
they  came  to  the  foot  of  the  mountain  of  Carazo. 
Here  they  remained  in  ambush,  and  sent  forth 
scouts.  As  the  latter  prowled  about  the  day 
began  to  dawn,  and  they  heard  a  female  voice 
singing  above  them  on  the  side  of  the  mountain. 
It  was  a  Moorish  damsel  coming  down,  with  a 
vessel  upon  her  head.  She  descended  to  a  foun- 
tain which  gushed  forth  beneath  a  grove  of  willows, 
and  as  she  sang  she  began  to  fill  her  vessel  with 
water.  The  spies  issued  from  their  concealment, 
seized  her,  and  carried  her  to  Count  Fernan  Gon- 
zalez. 

Overcome  by  terror  or  touched  by  conviction, 
the  Moorish  damsel  threw  herself  on  her  knees 
before  the  count,  declared  her  wish  to  turn  Chris- 
tian, and  offered,  in  proof  of  her  sincerity,  to  put 
him  in  a  way  of  gaining  possession  of  the  castle. 


CHRONICLE   OF  FERN  AN  GONZALEZ    332 

Being  encouraged  to  proceed,  she  told  him  that 
there  was  to  be  a  marriage  feast  that  day  in  the 
castle,  and  of  course  a  great  deal  of  revelry,  which 
would  put  the  garrison  off  its  guard.  She  pointed 
out  a  situation  where  he  might  lie  in  ambush  with 
his  troops  in  sight  of  the  tower,  and  promised 
when  a  favorable  moment  presented  for  an  attack 
to  give  a  signal  with  a  light. 

The  count  regarded  her  for  a  time  with  a  fixed 
and  earnest  gaze,  but  saw  no  faltering  nor  change 
of  countenance.  The  case  required  bold  measures, 
combined  with  stratagem  ;  so  he  confided  in  her, 
and  permitted  her  to  return  to  the  castle.  All 
day  he  lay  in  ambush  with  his  troops,  each  man 
his  hand  upon  his  weapon  -to  guard  against  sur- 
prise. The  distant  sound  of  revelry  from  the 
castle,  with  now  and  then  the  clash  of  cymbals, 
the  bray  of  trumpets,  and  a  strain  of  festive  music, 
showed  the  gayety  that  reigned  within.  Night 
came  on ;  lights  gleamed  from  walls  and  windows, 
but  none  resembling  the  appointed  signal.  It  was 
almost  midnight,  and  the  count  began  to  fear  the 
Moorish  damsel  had  deceived  him,  when  to  his 
great  joy  he  saw  the  signal-light  gleaming  from 
one  of  the  towers. 

He  now  sallied  forth  with  his  men,  and  all,  on 
foot,  clambered  up  the  steep  and  rugged  height 
They  had  almost  attained  the  foot  of  the  towen 
when  they  were  descried  by  a  sentinel  who  cried 
with  a  loud  voice,  "  The  foe !  the  foe !  to  arms ! 
to  arms  ! "  The  count,  followed  by  his  hardy 
cavaliers,  rushed  forward  to  the  gate,  crying, 
"  God  and  Saint  Millan  !  "  The  whole  castle  was 


334     CHRONICLE   OF  FERN  AN  GONZALEZ. 

instantly  in  an  uproar.  The  Moors  were  be- 
wildered by  the  sudden  surprise  and  the  confusion 
•of  a  night  assault.  They  fought  bravely,  but 
irregularly.  The  Christians  had  but  one  plan 
and  one  object.  After  a  hard  struggle  and  great 
bloodshed,  they  forced  the  gate  and  made  them- 
selves masters  of  the  castle. 

The  count  remained  several  days,  fortifying  the 
place  and  garrisoning  it,  that  it  might  not  fall 
again  into  the  possession  of  the  Moors.  He  be- 
stowed magnificent  rewards  on  the  Moorish  damsel 
who  had  thus  betrayed  her  countrymen ;  she  em- 
braced the  Christian  faith,  to  which  she  had  just 
given  such  a  signal  proof  of  devotion,  though  it 
is  not  said  whether  the  count  had  sufficient  con- 
fidence in  her  conversion  and  her  newly  moulted 
piety  to  permit  her  to  remain  in  the  fortress  she 
had  betrayed. 

Having  completed  his  arrangements,  the  count 
"departed  on  his  return,  and  encountered  on  the 
road  his  mother  Dona  Nuna  Fernandez,  who,  ex- 
ulting in  his  success,  had  set  out  to  visit  him  at 
Carazo.  The  mother  and  son  had  a  joyful  meet- 
ing, and  gave  the  name  of  Contreras  to  the  place 
of  their  encounter. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

Death  of  Alfonso,  King  of  Leon.  —  The  Moors  determined  to 
strike  a  fresh  Blow  at  the  Count,  who  summons  all  Castile  to 
his  Standard.  —  Of  his  Hunt  in  the  Forest  while  waiting  fof 
the  Enemy,  and  of  the  Hermit  that  he  met  with. 

ILFQNSO  THE  GREAT  was  now  grow- 
ing old  and  infirm,  and  his  queen  and  sons, 
taking  advantage  of  his  age  and  feeble- 
ness, endeavored  by  harsh  treatment  to  compel 
him  to  relinquish  the  crown.  Count  Fernan  Gon- 
zalez interceded  between  them,  but  in  vain ;  and 
Alfonso  was  at  length  obliged  to  surrender  his 
crown  to  his  oldest  son,  Don  Garcia.  The  aged 
monarch  then  set  out  upon  a  pilgrimage  to  the 
shrine  of  St.  lago ;  but,  falling  ill  of  his  HK»  ial 
malady,  sent  for  the  count  to  come  to  him  to  his 
death-bed  at  Zamora.  The  count  hastened  thither 
with  all  zeal  and  loyalty.  He  succeeded  in  effect- 
ing a  reconciliation  between  Alfonso  and  his  son 
Don  Garcia  in  his  dying  moments,  and  was  with 
the  monarch  when  he  quietly  breathed  his  last. 
The  death  of  the  king  gave  fresh  courage  to  the 
Moors,  and  they  thought  this  a  favorable  moment 
to  strike  a  blow  at  the  rising  power  of  the  count. 
Abderahman  was  at  this  time  king  of  Cordova 
and  Miramamolin,  or  sovereign  of  the  Moors  iu 


336     CHRONICLE  OF  FERN  AN  GONZALEZ. 

Spain.  He  had  been  enraged  at  the  capture  of 
the  castle  of  Carazo,  and  the  other  victories  of 
the  count ;  and  now  that  the  latter  had  no  longer 
the  King  of  Leon  to  back  him,  it  was  thought  he 
might,  by  a  vigorous  effort,  be  completely  crushed 
Abderahman  accordingly  assembled  at  Cordova 
a  great  army  of  Moorish  warriors,  both  those  of 
Spain  and  Africa,  and  sent  them,  under  the  com- 
mand of  Almanzor,  to  ravage  the  country  of 
Count  Fernan  Gonzalez.  This  Almanzor  was 
the  most  valiant  Moorish  general  in  Spain,  and 
one  on  whom  Abderahman  depended  as  upon  his 
right  hand. 

On  hearing  of  the  impending  danger,  Count 
Fernan  Gonzalez  summoned  all  men  of  Castile 
capable  of  bearing  arms  to  repair  to  his  standard 
at  Munon.  His  force  when  assembled  was  but 
small,  but  composed  of  the  bravest  chivalry  of 
Castile,  any  one  knight  of  which  he  esteemed 
equal  to  ten  Moors.  One  of  the  most  eminent  of 
his  cavaliers  was  Don  Gonzalo  Gustios,  of  Lara, 
who  brought  seven  valiant  sons  to  the  field  — 
the  same  afterwards  renowned  in  Spanish  story 
as  the  seven  princes  of  Lara.  With  Don  Gonzalo 
came  also  his  wife's  brother,  Ruy  or  Rodrigo 
Velasquez,  a  cavalier  of  great  prowess. 

In  the  mean  time  tidings  continued  to  arrive 
of  the  great  force  of  the  enemy,  which  was  said 
to  cover  the  country  with  its  tents.  The  name 
of  the  Moorish  general,  Almanzor,  likewise  in- 
spired great  alarm.  One  of  the  count's  cavaliers, 
therefore,  Gonzalo  Diaz,  counseled  him  not  to 
venture  upon  an  open  battle  against  such  fearful 


CHRONICLE   OF  FERNAN   GONZALES.    337 

odds  ;  but  rather  to  make  a  tula,  or  ravaging  in- 
road into  the  country  of  the  Moors,  by  way  of 
compelling  them  to  make  a  truce.  The  count, 
however,  rejected  his  advice.  "  As  to  their  num- 
bers," said  he,  "  one  lion  is  worth  ten  sheep,  and 
thirty  wolves  could  kill  thirty  thousand  lambs. 
As  to  that  Moor,  Almanzor,  be  assured  we  shall 
vanquish  him,  and  the  greater  his  renown  the 
greater  will  be  the  honor  of  the  victory." 

The  count  now  marched  his  little  army  to 
Lara,  where  he  paused  to  await  the  movements 
of  the  enemy.  While  his  troops  were  lying  there 
he  mounted  his  horse  one  day  and  went  forth 
with  a  few  attendants  to  hunt  in  the  forests  which 
bordered  the  river  Arlanza.  In  the  course  of  the 
chase  he  roused  a  monstrous  boar  and  pursued 
it  among  rocks  and  brakes  until  he  became  sep- 
arated from  his  attendants.  Still  following  the 
track  of  the  boar,  he  came  to  the  foot  of  a  rocky 
precipice,  up  which  the  animal  mounted  by  a 
rugged  and  narrow  path,  where  the  horse  could 
not  follow.  The  count  alighted,  tied  his  horse  to 
an  oak,  and  clambered  up  the  path,  assisting  him- 
self at  times  with  his  boar-spear.  The  path  led 
to  a  close  thicket  of  cedars,  surrounding  a  small 
edifice  partly  built  of  stone  and  partly  hewn  out 
of  the  solid  rock.  The  boar  had  taken  refuge 
within,  and  had  taken  his  stand  behind  what  ap- 
peared to  be  a  mass  of  stone.  The  count  was 
about  to  launch  his  javelin  when  he  beheld  a 
cross  of  stone  standing  on  what  he  now  perceived 
was  an  altar,  and  he  knew  that  he  was  in  a  holy 
piace.  lining  as  pious  as  he  was  brave,  the  good 


338     CHRONICLE   OF  FERN  AN  GONZALEZ 

count  now  knelt  before  the  altar  and  asked  pardon 
of  God  for  the  sii  he  had  been  on  the  point  of 
committing ;  and  when  he  had  finished  this 
prayer,  he  added  another  for  victory  over  the 
foe. 

While  he  was  yet  praying,  there  entered  a 
venerable  monk,  Fray  Pelayo  by  name,  who,  see- 
ing him  to  be  a  Christian  knight,  gave  him  his 
benediction.  He  informed  the  count  that  he  re- 
sided in  this  hermitage  in  company  with  two 
other  monks  —  Arsenio  and  Silvano.  The  count 
marveled  much  how  they  could  live  there  in  a 
country  overrun  by  enemies,  and  which  had  for 
a  long  time,  and  but  recently,  been  in  the  power 
of  the  infidels.  The  hermit  replied  that  in  the 
service  of  God  they  were  ready  to  endure  all 
hardships.  It  is  true  they  suffered  much  from 
cold  and  hunger,  being  obliged  to  live  chiefly  on 
herbs  and  roots  ;  but  by  secret  paths  and  tracks 
they  were  in  communication  with  other  hermit- 
ages scattered  throughout  the  country,  so  that 
they  were  enabled  to  aid  and  comfort  each  other. 
They  could  also  secretly  sustain  in  the  faith  the 
Christians  who  were  held  in  subjection  by  the 
Moors,  and  afford  them  places,  of  refuge  and  con- 
cealment in  cases  of  extremity. 

The  count  now  opened  his  heart  to  the  good 
hermit,  revealing  his  name  and  rank,  and  the 
perils  impending  over  him  from  the  invasion  of 
the  infidel.  As  the  day  was  far  spent,  Fray 
Pelayo  prevailed  upon  him  to  pass  the  night  in 
the  hermitage,  setting  before  him  barley  bread 
and  such  simple  fare  as  his  cell  afforded. 


CHRONICLE  OF  FERN  AN  GONZALEZ.    3*r9 

Early  in  the  morning  the  count  went  forth  and 
found  the  hermit  seated  beneath  a  tree  on  a  rock, 
whence  he  could  look  far  and  wide  out  of  the 
forest  and  over  the  surrounding  country.  The 
hermit  then  accosted  him  as  one  whose  holy  and 
meditative  life  and  mortifications  of  the  flesh  had 
given  to  look  into  the  future  almost  with  the  eye 
of  prophecy.  ft  Of  a  truth,  my  son,"  said  he, 
"  there  are  many  trials  and  hardships  in  store  for 
thee;  but  be  of  good  cheer,  thou  wilt  conquer 
these  Moors,  and  wilt  increase  thy  power  and 
possessions."  He  now  revealed  to  the  count 
certain  signs  and  portents  which  would  take  place 
during  battle.  "When  thou  shalt  see  these," 
said  he,  "  be  -assured  that  Heaven  is  on  thy  side, 
and  thy  victory  secure."  The  count  listened 
with  devout  attention.  "  If  these  things  do  in- 
deed come  to  pass,"  said  he,  "  I  will  found  a 
church  and  convent  in  this  place,  to  be  dedicated 
to  St.  Peter,  the  patron  saint  of  this  hermitage  ; 
and  when  I  die  my  body  shall  be  interred  here/' 
Receiving  then  the  benediction  of  the  holy  friar 
he  departed. 


CHAPTER   VII. 

The  Battle  of  the  Ford  of  Cascajares. 

| HEN  Count  Fernan  Gonzalez  returned 
to  his  troops  he  found  them  in  great 
alarm  at  his  absence,  fearing  some  evil 
had  befallen  him ;  but  he  cheered  them  with  an 
account  of  his  adventure  and  of  the  good  fortune 
predicted  by  the  hermit. 

It  was  in  the  month  of  May,  on  the  day  of 
the  Holy  Cross,  that  the  Christian  and  Moslem  ar- 
mies came  in  sight  of  each  other.  The  Moors  ad- 
vanced with  a  great  sound  of  trumpets,  atabals, 
and  cymbals,  and  their  mighty  host  extended  over 
hill  and  valley.  When  they  saw  how  small  was 
the  force  of  the  Christians  they  put  up  derisive 
shouts,  and  rushed  forward  to  surround  them. 

Don  Fernan  Gonzalez  remained  calm  and  un- 
moved upon  a  rising  ground,  for  the  hour  was  at 
hand  when  the  sign  of  victory  promised  by  the 
hermit  was  to  take  place.  Near  by  him  was  a 
youthful  cavalier,  Pedro  Gonzalez  by  name, 
native  of  La  Puente  de  Hitero,  of  fiery  courage 
but  vainglorious  temper.  He  was  cased  in  shin- 
ing armor,  and  mounted  on  a  beautiful  horse 
impatient  of  spirit  as  himself,  and  incessantly 
foaming  and  champing  on  the  bit  and  pawing  the 


CHRONICLE  OF  FERN  AN  GONZALEZ.    341 

earth.  As  the  Moors  drew  near,  while  there 
was  yet  a  large  space  between  them  and  the 
Christians,  this  fiery  cavalier  could  no  longer 
contain  himself,  but  giving  reins  to  his  steed  set 
off  headlong  to  encounter  the  foe  ;  when  suddenly 
the  earth  opened,  man  and  horse  rushed  down- 
ward into  an  abyss,  and  the  earth  closed  as 
before. 

A  cry  of  horror  ran  through  the  Christian 
ranks,  and  a  panic  was  like  to  seize  upon  them, 
but  Don  Fernan  Gonzalez  rode  in  front  of  them, 
exclaiming,  "  This  is  the  promised  sign  of  victory. 
Let  us  see  how  Castilians  defend  their  lord,  for 
my  standard  shall  be  borne  into  the  thickest  of 
the  fight."  So  saying,  he  ordered  Orbita  Fer- 
nandez to  advance  his  standard ;  and  when  his 
troops  saw  the  silver  cross  glittering  on  high  and 
borne  toward  the  enemy,  they  shouted,  "  Castile ! 
Castile  !  "  and  rushed  forward  to  the  fight.  Im- 
mediately around  the  standard  fought  Don  Gon- 
zalo  Gustios  and  his  seven  sons,  and  he  was,  say 
the  old  chroniclers,  like  a  lion  leading  his  whelps 
into  the  fight.  Wherever  they  fought  their  way, 
they  might  be  traced  by  the  bodies  of  bleeding 
and  expiring  infidels.  Few  particulars  of  this 
battle  remain  on  record ;  but  it  is  said  the  Moors 
were  as  if  struck  with  sudden  fear  and  weakness, 
and  fled  in  confusion.  Almanzor  himself  escaped 
by  the  speed  of  his  horse,  attended  by  a  handful 
of  his  cavaliers. 

In  the  camp  of  the  Moors  was  found  vast 
booty  in  gold  and  silver,  and  other  precious 
things,  with  sumptuous  armof  and  weapons. 


842     CHRONICLE   OF  FERN  AN  GONZALEZ. 

When  the  spoil  was  divided  and  the  troops  wer«/ 
refreshed,  Don  Fernan  Gonzalez  went  with  hia 
cavaliers  in  pious  procession  to  the  hermitage  of 
San  Pedro.  Here  he  gave  much  silver  and  gold 
to  the  worthy  Fray  Pelayo,  to  be  expended  in 
masses  for  the  souls  of  the  Christian  warriors 
who  had  fallen  in  battle,  and  in  prayers  for  fur- 
ther victories  over  the  infidels ;  after  which  he 
returned  in  triumph  to  his  capital  of  Burgos.1 

1  It  does  not  appear  that  Count  Fernan  Gonzalez  kept  his 
promise  of  founding  a  church  and  monastery  on  the  site  of 
the  hermitage.  The  latter  edifice  remained  to  after  ages. 
"  It  stands,"  says  Sandoval,  "  on  a  precipice  overhanging  the 
river  Arlanza,  insomuch  that  it  inspires  dread  to  look  below. 
It  is  extremely  ancient;  large  enough  to  hold  a  hundred  per- 
sons. Within  the  chapel  is  an  opening  like  a  chasm,  leading 
down  to  a  cavern  larger  than  the  church,  formed  in  the  solid 
rock,  with  a  small  window  which  overlooks  the  river.  It  was 
here  the  Christians  used  to  conceal  themselves." 

As  a  corroboration  of  the  adventure  of  the  Count  of  Cas- 
tile, Sandoval  assures  us  that  in  his  day  the  oak  still  existed 
to  which  Don  Fernan  Gonzalez  tied  his  horse,  when  he 
alighted  to  scramble  up  the  hill  in  pursuit  of  the  boar.  The 
worthy  Fray  Agapida,  however,  needed  no  corroboration  of 
the  kind,  swallowing  the  whole  story  with  the  ready  credence 
of  a  pious  monk.  The  action  here  recorded  was  known  by 
the  name  of  the  battle  of  the  Ford  of  Cascajares. 

Sandoval  gives  a  different  account  of  the  fate  of  the  her-- 
mite.  He  says  that  Almanzor,  in  a  rage  at  their  prognos- 
tics, overthrew  their  chapel,  and,  without  alighting  from  his 
horse,  ordered  the  three  monks  to  be  beheaded  in  his  pres- 
ence. "  This  martyrdom,"  he  adds,  "  is  represented  in  an 
Ancient  painting  of  the  chapel  which  still  exists." 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

Of  the  Message  sent  by  the  Count  to  Sancho  II.,  King  of 
Navarre,  and  the  Reply.  —  Their  Encounter  in  Battle. 

| HE  good  Count  of  Castile  was  so  in- 
spirited by  this  signal  victory  over  the 
Moors,  and  their  great  general  Alman- 
zor,  that  he  determined,  now  that  he  had  a 
breathing-spell  from  infidel  warfare,  to  redress 
certain  grievances  sustained  from  one  of  his 
Christian  neighbors.  This  was  Don  Sancho  II., 
King  of  Navarre,  surnamed  Abarca,  either  from 
the  abarcas  or  shepherd  shoes  which  he  had  worn 
in  early  life,  when  brought  up  in  secrecy  and  in- 
digence, during  the  overthrow  of  his  country  by 
the  Moors,  or  from  making  his  soldiers  wear 
shoes  of  the  kind  in  crossing  the  snowy  Pyre- 
nees. It  was  a  name  by  which  the  populace  de- 
lighted to  call  him. 

This  prince  had  recovered  all  Navarre  from 
the  infidels,  and  even  subjected  to  his  crown  aU 
Biscay,  or  Cantabria,  and  some  territory  beyond 
the  Pyrenees,  on  the  confines  of  France.  Not 
content  with  these  acquisitions,  he  had  made 
occasional  inroads  into  Castile,  in  consequence  of 
a  contest  respecting  the  territories  of  Najarra  and 
Rioxa,  to  which  he  laid  claim.  These  incursions 


344    CHRONICLE   OF,  FERN  AN  GONZALEZ. 

he  repeated  whenever  he  had  peace  or  truce  with 
the  Moors.1 

Count  Fernan  Gonzalez,  having  now  time,  as 
has  been  observed,  to  attend  to  these  matters, 
sent  an  ambassador  to  King  Sancho,  charged 
with  a  courteous  but  resolute  message.  "  1 
come,  Senor,"  said  the  ambassador  to  the  king, 
"  by  command  of  the  Count  F'ernan  Gonzalez  of 
Castile,  and  this  is  what  I  am  told  to  say.  You 
have  done  him  much  wrong  in  times  past,  by 
leaguing  with  the  infidels  and  making  inroads 
into  his  territories  while  he  was  absent  or  en- 
gaged in  war.  If  you  will  amend  your  ways  in 
this  respect,  and  remedy  the  past,  you  will  do 
him  much  pleasure ;  but  if  you  refuse,  he  sends 
you  his  defiance." 

King  Sancho  Abarca  was  lost  in  astonishment 
and  indignation  at  receiving  such  a  message  from 
a  count  of  Castile.  "  Return  to  the  count,"  said 
he,  "and  tell  him  I  will  amend  nothing;  that  I 
marvel  at  his  insolence,  and  hold  him  for  a  mad- 
man for  daring  to  defy  me.  Tell  him  he  has 
listened  to  evil  counsel,  or  a  few  trifling  successes 
against  the  Moors  have  turned  his  brain ;  but  it 
will  be  very  different  when  I  come  to  seek  him, 
for  there  is  not  town  or  tower  from  which  I  will 
not  drag  him  forth."  2 

The  ambassador  returned  with  this  reply,  nor 
did  he  spare  the  least  of  its  scorn  and  bitterness. 
Upon  this  the  count  assembled  his  cavaliers  and 

1  Sandoval.     The  Five  Bishops.     Mariana,  lib.  8,  c.  5,  p 
J67.     Cron.  Gen.  de  Espana,  part  3,  c.  18,  fol.  53 
a  Cron.  Gen.  de  Espana,  tjt  supra. 


CHRONICLE   OF  FERN  AN  GONZALEZ.    345 

councilors,  and  represented  the  case.  He  ex- 
horted them  to  stand  by  him  in  seeking  redress 
for  this  insult  and  injury  to  their  country  and 
their  chieftain.  uWe  are  not  equal  in  numbers 
to  the  enemy,  but  we  are  valiant  men,  united 
and  true  to  each  other,  and  one  hundred  good 
lances,  all  in  the  hands  of  chosen  cavaliers,  all 
of  one  heart  and  mind,  are  worth  three  hundred 
placed  by  chance  in  the  hands  of  men  who  have 
no  common  tie."  The  cavaliers  all  assured  him 
they  would  follow  and  obey  him  as  loyal  sub- 
jects of  a  worthy  lord,  and  would  prove  their 
fealty  in  the  day  of  battle. 

A  little  army  of  staunch  Castilians  was  soon 
assembled,  the  silver  cross  was  again  reared  on 
high  by  the  standard-bearer  Orbita  Velasquez, 
and  the  count  advanced  resolutely  a  day's  journey 
into  the  kingdom  of  Navarre,  for  his  maxim  was 
to  strike  quickly  and  sudden.  King  Sancho 
wondered  at  his  daring,  but  hastened  to  meet 
him  with  a  greatly  superior  force.  The  armies 
came  in  sight  of  each  other  at  a  place  called  the 
Era  de  Gollanda. 

The  count  now  addressed  his  men.  "  The 
enemy,"  said'  he,  "  are  more  numerous  than  we  ; 
they  are  vigorous  of  body  and  light  of  foot,  and 
are  dexterous  in  throwing  darts.  They  will  have 
the  advantage  if  they  attack  us  ;  but  if  we  at- 
tack them  and  close  manfully,  we  shall  get  tho 
field  of  them  before  they  have  time  to  hurl  their 
darts  and  wound  us.  For  my  part,  I  shall  make 
for  the  king.  If  I  can  but  revenge  the  wrongs 
of  Castile  upon  his  person  I  care  not  how  soon  I 


CHRONICLE  OF  FERN  AN  GONZALEZ. 


As  the  armies  drew  near  each  other  the  Caa- 
tilians,  true  to  the  orders  of  their  chieftain,  put 
up  the  war-cry,  "  Castile  !  Castile  !  "  and  rushing 
forward,  broke  through  the  squadrons  of  Navarre. 
Then  followed  a  fight  so  pitiless  and  deadly,  says 
an  old  chronicler,  that  the  strokes  of  their  weap- 
ons resounded  through  the  whole  country.  The 
count  sought  King  Sancho  throughout  the  whole 
field  ;  they  met  and  recognized  each  other  by 
their  armorial  bearings  and  devices.  They 
fought  with  fury,  until  both  fell  from  their  horses 
as  if  dead.  The  Castilians  cut  their  way  through 
the  mass  of  the  enemy,  and  surrounded  their 
fallen  chief.  Some  raised  him  from  the  earth 
while  others  kept  off  the  foe.  At  first  they 
thought  him  dead,  and  were  loud  in  their  lamen- 
tations ;  but  when  the  blood  and  dust  were  wiped 
from  his  face  he  revived  and  told  them  not  to 
heed  him,  for  his  wounds  were  nothing  ;  but  to 
press  on  and  gain  the  victory,  for  he  had  slain 
the  King  of  Navarre. 

At  hearing  this  they  gave  a  great  shout  and  re- 
turned to  the  fight  ;  but  those  of  Navarre,  seized 
with  terror  at  the  fall  of  their  king,  turned  their 
backs  and  fled. 

The  count  then  caused  the  body  of  the  king  to 
be  taken  from  among  the  slain  and  to  be  con- 
ducted, honorably  attended,  to  Navarre.  Thus 
fell  Sancho  Abarca,  King  of  Navarre,  and  was 
succeeded  by  his  son  Don  Garcia,  surnamed  the 
Trembler. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

How  the  Count  of  Toulouse  makes  a  Campaign  against  Caa- 
tile,  and  how  he  returns  in  his  Coffin. 

IHILE  the  Count  Fernan  Gonzalez  was 
yet  ill  of  his  wounds  in  his  capital,  and 
when  his  soldiers  had  scarce  laid  by 
their  cuirasses  and  hung  up  their  shields  and 
lances,  there  was  a  fresh  alarm  of  war.  The 
Count  of  Toulouse  and  Poictiers,  the  close  friend 
and  ally  of  King  Sancho  Abarca,  had  come  from 
France  with  a  host  to  his  assistance,  but  finding 
him  defeated  and  slain,  raised  his  standard  to 
make  a  campaign,  in  his  revenge,  against  the 
Castilians.  The  Navarrese  all  gathered  round 
him,  and  now  an  army  was  on  foot  more  power- 
ful than  the  one  which  had  recently  been  de- 
feated. 

Count  Fernan  Gonzalez,  wounded  as  he  was, 
summoned  his  troops  to  march  against  this  new 
enemy  ;  but  the  war-worn  Castilians,  vexed  at 
being  thus  called  again  to  arms  before  they  had 
time  to  breathe,  began  to  murmur.  "  This  is  the 
life  of  the  very  devil,*'  said  they,  "  to  go  about 
day  and  night,  without  a  moment's  rest.  This 
lord  of  ours  is  assuredly  Satan  himself,  a*id  we 
are  lesser  detils  in  his  employ,  always  busy  en- 


348     CHRONICLE   OF  FERN  AN  GONZALEZ. 

trapping  the  souls  of  men.  He  has  no  pity  for 
us,  so  battered  and  worn,  nor  for  himself,  so  badly 
wounded.  It  is  necessary  that  some  one  should 
talk  with  him,  and  turn  him  from  this  madness." 

Accordingly  a  hardy  cavalier,  Nuno  Laynez, 
remonstrated  with  the  count  against  further  fight- 
ing until  he  should  be  cured  of  his  wounds  and 
his  people  should  have  time  to  repose ;  for  mor- 
tal men  could  not  support  this  kind  of  life. 
"  Nor  is  this  urged  through  cowardice,"  added  he, 
"  for  your  men  are  ready  to  fight  for  and  defend 
you  as  they  would  their  own  souls." 

"  Well  have  you  spoken,  Nuno  Laynez,"  re- 
plied the  count ;  "  yet  for  all  this  I  am  not 
minded  to  defer  this  fight.  A  day  lost  never  re- 
turns. An  opportunity  foregone  can  never  be  re- 
called. The  warrior  who  indulges  in  repose  will 
never  leave  the  memory  of  great  deeds  behind 
him.  His  name  dies  when  his  soul  leaves  the 
body.  Let  us,  therefore,  make  the  most  of  the 
days  and  hours  allotted  us,  and  crown  them  with 
such  glorious  deeds  that  the  world  shall  praise  us 
in  all  ruture  time." 

When  Nuno  Laynez  repeated  these  generous 
words  to  the  cavaliers,  the  blood  glowed  in  their 
veins,  and  they  prepared  themselves  manfully  for 
the  field  ;  nor  did  the  count  give  them  time  to 
cool  before  he  put  himself  at  their  head  and 
marched  to  meet  the  enemy.  He  found  them 
drawn  up  on  the  opposite  side  of  a  river  which 
was  swollen  and  troubled  by  recent  rains.  With- 
out hesitation  he  advanced  to  ford  it,  but  his 
troops  were  galled  by  flights  of  darts  and  arrows 


CHRONICLE  OF  FERN  AN  GONZALEZ.    349 

as  they  crossed,  and  received  with  lances  on  th<s 
water's  edge  ;  the  bodies  of  many  floated  down 
the  turbid  stream,  and  many  perished  on  the 
banks.  They  made  good  their  crossing,  how- 
ever, and  closed  with  the  enemy.  The  fight 
was  obstinate  and  the  Castilians  were  hardly 
pressed,  being  so  inferior  in  number.  Don  Fer- 
nan  Gonzalez  galloped  along  the  front  of  the 
enemy.  "  Where  is  the  Count  of  Toulouse  ? " 
cried  he ;  "  let  him  come  forth  and  face  me,  — 
me,  Fernan  Gonzalez  of  Castile,  who  defy  him  to 
single  combat ! "  The  count  answered  promptly 
to  the  defiance.  No  one  from  either  side  pre- 
sumed to  interfere  while  the  two  counts  encoun- 
tered, man  to  man  and  horse  to  horse,  like  honor- 
able and  generous  cavaliers.  They  rushed  upon 
each  other  with  the  full  speed  of  their  horses ; 
the  lance  of  Don  Fernan  pierced  through  all  the 
armor  and  accoutrements  of  the  Count  of  Tou- 
louse and  bore  him  out  of  the  saddle,  and  before 
he  touched  the  earth  his  soul  had  already  parted 
from  his  body.  The  men  of  Toulouse,  seeing 
their  chief  fall  dead,  fled  amain,  but  were  pur- 
sued, and  three  hundred  of  them  taken.1 

The  field  being  won,  Count  Fernan  Gonzalez 
alighted  and  took  off  the  armor  of  the  Count  of 
Toulouse,  with  his  own  hands,  and  wrapped  him 
in  a  xemete,  or  Moorish  mantle,  of  great  value, 
which  he  had  gained  when  he  conquered  Almanzor, 
He  ordered  a  coffin  to  be  made,  and  covered  with 
cloth  of  gold,  and  studded  with  silver  nails,  and 
he  put  therein  the  body  of  the  count,  and  deliv- 
1  Oro**.  Gen.  de  Espana. 


350     CHRONICLE   OF  FERN  AN  GONZALEZ. 

ered  it  to  the  captive  cavaliers,  whom  he  released 
and  furnished  with  money  for  their  expenses, 
making  them  swear  not  to  leave  the  body  of  the 
count  until  they  had  conducted  it  to  Toulouse. 
So  the  count,  who  had  come  from  France  in 
such  chivalrous  state,  at  the  head  of  an  array  of 
shining  warriors,  returned  in  his  coffin  with  a 
mourning  train  of  vanquished  cavaliers,  while 
Count  Fernan  Gonzalez  conducted  his  victorious 
troops  in  triumph  back  to  Burgos. 

This  signal  victory  took  place  in  the  year  of 
our  Redemption  926,  in  the  beginning  of  the 
reign  of  Alfonso  the  Monk  on  the  throne  of 
Leon  and  the  Asturias.2 

2  Mariana,  lib.  8,  c.  5,  p.  367. 


CHAPTER    X. 

How  the  Count  went  to  receive  the  Hand  of  a  Princess,  and 
was  thrown  into  a  Dungeon.  —  Of  the  Stranger  that  visited 
him  in  his  Chains,  and  of  the  Appeal  that  he  made  to  the 
Princess  for  his  Deliverance. 


II.,  who  had  succeeded  to  tho 
throne  of  Navarre  on  the  death  of  his 
father,  was  brave  of  soul,  though  sur- 
named  El  Terabloso,  or  The  Trembler.  He  was 
so  called  because  he  was  observed  to  tremble  on 
going  into  battle  ;  but,  as  has  been  said  of  others, 
it  was  only  the  flesh  that  trembled,  foreseeing  the 
dangers  into  which  the  spirit  would  carry  it. 
This  king  was  deeply  grieved  at  the  death  of 
his  father,  slain  by  Count  Fernan  Gonzalez,  and 
would  have  taken  vengeance  by  open  warfare, 
but  he  was  counseled  by  his  mother,  the  Queen 
Teresa,  to  pursue  a  subtler  course.  At  her  insti- 
gation overtures  were  made  to  the  count  to  settle 
all  the  feuds  between  Navarre  and  Castile  by  a 
firm  alliance,  and  to  this  end  it  was  proposed  that 
the  count  should  take  to  wife  Dona  Sancha,  the 
sister  of  King  Garcia  and  daughter  of  King 
Sancho  Abarca.  The  count  accepted  gladly  the 
proffered  alliance,  for  he  had  heard  of  the  great 
merit  and  beauty  of  the  princess,  and  was  pleased 
with  so  agreeable  a  mode  of  putting  an  end  to 


352     CHRONICLE  OF  FERN  AN  GONZALEZ. 

all  their  contests.  A  conference  was  accordingly 
appointed  between  the  count  and  King  Garcia, 
to  take  place  at  Ciruena,  each  to  be  attended 
only  by  five  cavaliers. 

The  count  was  faithful  to  his  compact,  and  ap 
peared  at  the  appointed  place  with  five  of  the 
bravest  of  his  cavaliers  ;  but  the  king  arrived 
with  five-and-thirty  chosen  men,  all  armed  cap-a- 
pie.  The  count,  suspecting  treachery,  retreated 
with  his  cavaliers  into  a  neighboring  hermitage, 
and,  barricading  the  door,  defended  himself 
throughout  the  day  until  nightfall.  Seeing  there 
was  no  alternative,  he  at  length  capitulated  and 
agreed  to  surrender  himself  a  prisoner,  and  pay 
homage  to  the  king,  on  the  latter  assuring  him, 
under  oath,  that  his  life  should  be  secure.  King 
Garcia  the  Trembler,  having  in  this  wily  manner 
gained  possession  of  the  count,  threw  him  in 
irons  and  conducted  him  prisoner  to  Navarre, 
where  he  confined  him  in  a  strong  castle  called 
Castro  Viejo.  At  his  intercession,  however,  his 
five  cavaliers  were  released,  and  carried  back  to 
Castile  the  doleful  tidings  of  his  captivity. 

Now  it  came  to  pass  that  a  brave  Norman 
count,  who  was  performing  a  pilgrimage  to  St. 
lago  of  Compostella,  heard  that  the  Count  Fer- 
nan  Gonzalez,  whose  renown  had  spread  far  and 
wide,  lay  in  chains  in  Castro  Viejo.  Having  a 
vehement  desire  to  see  the  man  of  whom  fame 
had  spoken  so  loudly,  he  repaired  to  the  castle, 
and  bribed  his  way  to  the  prison  of  the  count. 
When  he  entered  and  beheld  so  noble  a  cavalier 
in  a  solitary  dungeon  and  in  chains,  he  was  sore 


CHRONICLE   OF  FERN  AN  GONZALEZ.    35S 

at  heart.  The  count  looked  up  with  wonder  as 
this  stranger  stood  before  him  in  pilgrim  garb 
and  with  sorrowful  aspect,  but  when  he  learned 
his  name  and  rank,  and  the  object  of  his  visit, 
he  gave  him  the  right  hand  of  friendship. 

The  pilgrim  count  left  the  castle  more  ena- 
mored than  ever  of  the  character  of  Count  Fer- 
nan  Gonzalez.  At  a  festival  of  the  court  he 
beheld  the  Princess  Sancha,  who  had  served  as  a 
lure  to  draw  the  good  count  into  the  power  of 
his  enemies,  and  he  found  her  of  surpassing 
beauty,  and  of  a  gentle  and  loving  demeanor ;  so 
he  determined  to  seek  an  opportunity  to  speak 
with  her  in  private,  for  surely,  thought  he,  in 
such  a  bosom  must  dwell  the  soft  pity  of  woman- 
hood. Accordingly,  one  day  as  the  princess  was 
walking  in  the  garden  with  her  ladies,  he  pre- 
sented himself  before  her  in  his  pilgrim's  garb, 
and  prayed  to  speak  with  her  apart,  as  if  on 
some  holy  mission.  And  when  they  were  alone, 
"  How  is  this,  Princess,"  said  he,  "  that  you  are 
doing  such  great  wrong  to  Heaven,  to  yourself, 
and  to  all  Christendom?"  The  princess  started, 
and  said,  "  What  wrong  have  I  done  ? "  Then 
replied  the  pilgrim  count,  "  Behold,  for  thy  sake, 
the  noblest  of  cavaliers,  the  pride  of  Spain,  the 
flower  of  chivalry,  the  hope  of  Christendom,  lies 
in  a  dungeon,  fettered  with  galling  chains.  What 
lady  but  would  be  too  happy  to  be  honored  with 
the  love  of  Count  Fernan  Gonzalez  ;  and  thou 
hast  scorned  it !  How  will  it  tell  for  thy  fame 
in  future  times,  that  thou  wast  made  a  snare  to 
capture  an  honorable  knight;  that  the  gentlest, 


354     CHRONICLE  OF  FERN  AN  GONZALEZ. 

the  bravest,  the  most  generous  of  cavaliers  was 
inveigled  by  the  love  of  thee  to  be  thrown  intc* 
a  dungeon  ?  How  hast  thou  reversed  the  max- 
ims of  chivalry !  Beauty  has  ever  been  the 
friend  of  valor ;  but  thou  hast  been  its  foe ! 
The  fair  hands  of  lovely  dames  have  ever  be- 
stowed laurels  and  rewards  on  those  gallant 
knights  who  sought  and  deserved  their  loves ; 
thou  hast  bestowed  chains  and  a  dungeon.  Be- 
hold, the  Moors  rejoice  in  his  captivity,  while  all 
Christians  mourn.  Thy  name  will  be  accursed 
throughout  the  land  like  that  of  Cava ;  but 
shouldst  thou  have  the  heroism  to  set  him  free, 
thou  wilt  be  extolled  above  all  Spanish  ladies. 
Hadst  thou  but  seen  him  as  I  have  done, — 
alone,  abandoned,  enchained ;  yet  so  noble,  so 
courteous,  so  heroic  in  his  chains,  that  kings  upon 
their  thrones  might  envy  the  majesty  of  his  de- 
meanor. If  thou  couldst  feel  love  for  man,  thou 
shouldst  do  it  for  this  knight;  for  I  swear  to 
thee  on  this  cross  which  I  bear,  that  never  was 
there  king  or  emperor  in  the  world  so  worthy  of 
woman's  love."  When  the  pilgrim  count  had 
thus  spoken,  he  left  the  princess  to  meditate  upon 
his  words. 


CHAPTER  XL 

Of  the  Meditations  of  the  Princess,  and  their  Result.  —  Hei 
Flight  from  the  Prison  with  the  Count,  and  Perils  of  the 
Escape.  —  The  Nuptials. 

HE  Princess  Sancha  remained  for  some 
time  in  the  garden,  revolving  in  her 
mind  all  that  she  had  just  heard,  and 
tenderness  for  the  Count  Fernan  Gonzalez  began 
to  awaken  in  her  bosom ;  for  nothing  so  touches 
the  heart  of  woman  as  the  idea  of  valor  suffering 
for  her  sake.  The  more  the  princess  meditated 
the  more  she  became  enamored.  She  called  to 
mind  all  she  had  heard  of  the  illustrious  actions 
of  the  count.  She  thought  upon  the  pictures  just 
drawn  of  him  in  prison — so  noble,  so  majestic 
in  his  chains.  She  remembered  the  parting  words 
of  the  pilgrim  count — "Never  was  there  king 
nor  emperor  so  worthy  of  a  woman's  love." 
•'*  Alas  ! "  cried  she,  "  was  there  ever  a  lady  more 
unfortunate  than  I?  All  the  love  and  devotion 
of  this  noble  cavalier  I  might  have  had,  and  be- 
hold it  has  been  made  a  mockery.  Both  he  and 
myself  have  been  wronged  by  the  treachery  of 
my  brother." 

*  At  length  the  passion  of  the  princess  arose  to 
such  a  height  that  she  determined  to  deliver  the 
i'ount  from  the  misery  of  which  she  had  been  made 


356     CHRONICLE   OF  FERN  AN  GONZALEZ. 

the  instrument.  So  she  found  means  one  night 
to  bribe  the  guards  of  his  prison,  and  made  her 
way  to  his  dungeon.  When  the  count  saw  her, 
he  thought  it  a  beautiful  vision,  or  some  angel 
sent  from  heaven  to  comfort  him,  for  certainly  her 
beauty  surpassed  the  ordinary  loveliness  of  woman. 

"  Noble  cavalier,"  said  the  princess,  "  this  is  no 
time  for  idle  words  and  ceremonies.  Behold  be- 
fore you  the  Princess  Dona  Sancha ;  the  word 
which  my  brother  brake  I  am  here  to  fulfill.  You 
came  to  receive  my  hand,  and,  instead,  you  were 
thrown  in  chains.  I  come  to  yield  you  that  hand, 
and  to  deliver  you  from  those  chains.  Behold, 
the  door  of  your  prison  is  open,  and  I  am  ready 
to  fly  with  you  to  the  ends  of  the  earth.  Swear 
to  me  one  word,  and  when  you  have  sworn  it,  I 
know  your  loyalty  too  well  to  doubt  that  you  will 
hold  your  oath  sacred.  Swear  that  if  I  fly  with 
you,  you  will  treat  me  with  the  honor  of  a  knight ; 
that  you  will  make  me  your  wife,  and  never  leave 
me  for  any  other  woman." 

The  count  swore  all  this  on  the  faith  of  a  Chris- 
tian cavalier ;  and  well  did  he  feel  disposed  to  keep 
his  oath,  for  never  before  had  he  beheld  such 
glorious  beauty. 

So  the  princess  led  the  way,  and  her  authority 
and  her  money  had  conquered  the  fidelity  of  the 
guards,  so  that  they  permitted  the  count  to  sally 
forth  with  her  from  the  prison. 

It  was  a  dark  night,  and  they  left  the  great 
road  and  climbed  a  mountain.  The  count  was  s<? 
fettered  by  his  chains  that  he  moved  with  difficulty, 
but  the  princess  helped  and  sometimes  almost 


CHRONICLE   OF  FERN  AN  GONZALEZ.    357 

carried  him  ;  for  what  will  not  delicate  woman 
perform  when  her  love  and  pity  are  fully  aroused. 
Thus  they  toiled  on  their  way  until  the  day 
dawned,  when  they  hid  themselves  in  the  cliffs  of 
the  mountain,  among  rocks  and  thickets.  While 
thus  concealed  they  beheld  an  archpriest  of  the 
castle,  mounted  on  a  mule  with  a  falcon  on  his 
fist,  hawking  about  the  lower  part  of  the  moun- 
tain. The  count  knew  him  to  be  a  base  and 
malignant  man,  and  watched  his  movements  with 
great  anxiety.  He  had  two  hounds  beating  about 
the  bushes,  which  at  length  got  upon  the  traces 
of  the  count  and  princess,  and  discovering  them, 
set  up  a  violent  barking.  Alighting  from  his  mule, 
the  archpriest  clambered  up  to  where  the  fugitives 
were  concealed.  He  knew  the  count,  and  saw 
that  he  had  escaped.  "  Aha !  traitor,"  cried  he, 
drawing  his  sword,  "  think  not  to  escape  from  the 
power  of  the  king."  The  count  saw  that  resistance 
was  in  vain,  for  he  was  without  weapon  and  in 
chains,  and  the  archpriest  was  a  powerful  man, 
exceeding  broad  across  the  shoulders ;  he  sought, 
therefore,  to  win  him  by  fair  words,  promising 
that  if  he  would  aid  him  to  escape  he  would  give 
him  a  city  in  Castile,  for  him  and  his  heirs  for- 
ever. But  the  archpriest  was  more  violent  than 
ever,  and  held  his  sword  at  the  breast  of  the 
count  to  force  him  back  to  the  castle.  Upon  this 
the  princess  rushed  forward,  and  with  tears  in  her 
eyes  implored  him  not  to  deliver  the  count  into 
the  hands  of  his  enemies.  But  the  heart  of  the 
priest  was  inflamed  by  the  beauty  of  the  princess, 
and  thinking  her  at  his  mercy,  "  Gladly,"  said  he, 


358     CHRONICLE   OF  FERN  AN  GONZALEZ. 

11  will  I  assist  the  count  to  escape,  but  upon  one 
condition."  Then  he  whispered  a  proposal  which 
brought  a  crimson  glow  of  horror  and  indignation 
into  the  cheeks  of  the  princess,  and  he  would  have 
laid  his  hand  upon  her,  but  he  was  suddenly  lifted 
from  the  earth  by  the  strong  grasp  of  the  count, 
who  bore  him  to  the  edge  of  a  precipice  and  flung 
him  headlong  down ;  and  his  neck  was  broken  in 
the  fall. 

The  count  then  took  the  mule  of  the  archpriest, 
his  hawk,  and  his  hounds,  and  after  keeping  in  the 
secret  parts  of  the  mountain  all  day,  he  and  the 
princess  mounted  the  mule  at  night,  and  pursued 
their  way,  by  the  most  rugged  and  unfrequented 
passes,  toward  Castile. 

As  the  day  dawned  they  found  themselves  5n 
an  open  plain  at  the  foot  of  the  mountains,  and 
beheld  a  body  of  horsemen  riding  toward  then>, 
conducting  a  car,  in  which  sat  a  knight  in  armor, 
bearing  a  standard.  The  princess  now  gave  all 
up  for  lost.  "  These,"  said  she,  "  are  sent  by  my 
brother  in  pursuit  of  us ;  how  can  we  escape,  for 
this  poor  animal  has  no  longer  strength  nor  speed 
to  bear  us  up  the  mountains  ?"  Upon  this  Count 
Fernan  alighted,  and  drawing  the  sword  of  the 
archpriest,  placed  himself  in  a  narrow  pass.  "  Do 
you,"  said  he  to  the  princess,  "  turn  back  and 
hasten  to  the  mountains,  and  dearly  shall  it  cost 
him  who  attempts  to  follow  you."  "  Not  so,"  re- 
plied the  princess ;  "  for  the  love  of  me  hast  thou 
been  brought  from  thine  own  domain  and  betrayed 
into  all  these  dangers,  and  I  will  abide  to  share 
them  with  thee." 


CHRONICLE  OF  FERN  AN  GONZALEZ.    35fc 

The  count  would  have  remonstrated,  when  to 
his  astonishment  he  saw,  as  the  car  drew  near, 
that  the  knight  seated  in  it  was  clad  in  his  own 
armor,  with  his  own  devices,  and  held  his  own 
banner  in  his  hand.  "  Surely,'*  said  he,  crossing 
himself,  "  this  is  enchantment ;  "  but  on  looking 
still  nearer,  he  recognized  among  the  horsemen 
Nufio  Sandias  and  Nuiio  Laynez,  two  of  his 
most  faithful  knights.  Then  his  heart  leaped  for 
joy.  "  Fear  nothing,"  cried  he  to  the  princess  ; 
"behold  my  standard,  and  behold  my  vassals. 
Those  whom  you  feared  as  enemies  shall  kneel  at 
your  feet  and  kiss  your  hand  in  homage." 

Now  so  it  appears  that  the  tidings  of  the  cap- 
tivity of  the  count  had  spread  mourning  arid  con- 
sternation throughout  Castile,  and  the  cavaliers 
assembled  together  to  devise  means  for  his  deliv- 
erance. And  certain  of  them  had  prepared  this 
effigy  of  the  count,  clad  in  his  armor  and  bearing 
his  banner  and  devices,  and  having  done  homage 
and  sworn  fealty  to  it  as  they  would  have  done 
to  the  count  himself,  they  had  placed  it  in  this  car 
and  set  forth  with  it  as  a  leader,  making  a  vow, 
in  the  spirit  of  ancient  chivalry,  never  to  return 
to  their  homes  until  they  should  have  delivered 
the  count  from  his  captivity. 

When  the  cavaliers  recognized  the  count,  they 
put  up  shouts  of  joy,  and  kissed  his  hands  and  the 
hands  of  the  princess  in  token  of  devoted  loyalty. 
And  they  took  off  the  fetters  of  the  count  and 
placed  him  in  the  car  and  the  princess  beside 
him,  and  returned  joyfully  to  Castile. 

Vain   would   be    the  attempt   to   describe  the 


360     CHRONICLE  OF  FERN  AN  GONZALEZ. 

transports  of  the  multitude  as  Count  Fernan 
Gonzalez  entered  his  noble  capital  of  Burgos. 
The  Princess  Sancha,  also,  was  hailed  with  bless- 
ings wherever  she  passed,  as  the  deliverer  of  their 
lord  and  the  savior  of  Castile,  and  shortly  after- 
wards her  nuptials  with  the  count  were  cele- 
brated with  feasting  and  rejoicing  and  tilts  and 
tournaments,  which  lasted  for  many  days. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

King  Garcia  confined  in  Burgos  by  the  Count.  —  The  Princeai 
intercedes  for  his  Release. 

[HE  rejoicings  for  the  marriage  of  Count 
Fernan  Gonzalez  with  the  beautiful 
Princess  Sancha  were  scarcely  finished 
when  King  Garcia  the  Trembler  came  with  a 
powerful  army  to  revenge  his  various  affronts. 
The  count  sallied  forth  to  meet  him,  and  a  bloody 
and  doubtful  battle  ensued.  The  Navarrese  at 
length  were  routed,  and  the  king  was  wounded 
and  taken  prisoner  in  single  combat  by  Count 
Fernan,  who  brought  him  to  Burgos  and  put  him 
in  close  confinement. 

The  Countess  Dona  Sancha  was  •  now  almost 
as  much  afflicted  at  the  captivity  of  her  brother 
as  she  had  been  at  that  of  the  count,  and  inter- 
ceded with  her  husband  for  his  release.  The 
count,  however,  retained  too  strong  a  recollection 
of  the  bad  faith  of  King  Garcia  and  of  his  own 
treacherous  and  harsh  imprisonment  to  be  easily 
moved,  and  the  king  was  kept  in  duress  for  a 
considerable  time.  The  countess  then  interested 
the  principal  cavaliers  in  her  suit,  reminding  them 
of  the  services  she  had  rendered  them  in  aiding 
the  escape  of  their  lord  Through  their  united 


362     CHRONICLE   OF  FERN  AN   GONZALEZ. 

intercessions  the  count  was  induced  to  relent  • 
so  King  Garcia  the  Trembler  was  released  and 
treated  with  great  honor,  and  sent  back  to  his  do- 
minions with  a  retinue  befitting  his  rank 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

Of  the  Expedition  against  the  ancient  City  of  Sylo.  —  The 
unwitting  Trespass  of  the  Count  into  a  Convent,  and  his 
Compunction  thereupon. 

| GLUMES  would  it  take  to  follow  the 
Count  Fernan  Gonzalez  in  his  heroic 
achievements  against  the  infidels,  — 
achievements  which  give  to  sober  history  almost 
the  air  of  fable.  I  forbear  to  dwell  at  large  upon 
one  of  his  campaigns,  wherein  he  scoured  the 
Valley  of  Laguna  ;  passed  victoriously  along  the 
banks  of  the  Douro,  building  towers  and  castles 
to  keep  the  country  in  subjection  ;  how  he  scaled 
the  walls  of  the  castle  of  Ormaz,  being  the  first 
to  mount,  sword  in  hand  ;  how  by  the  valor  of 
his  arm  he  captured  the  city  of  Orma  ;  how  he 
took  the  town  of  Sandoval,  the  origin  of  the  cav- 
aliers of  Sandoval,  who  were  anciently  called 
Salvadores ;  how  he  made  an  inroad  even  to 
Madrid,  then  a  strongly  fortified  village,  and  hav- 
ing taken  and  sacked  it,  returned  in  triumph  to 
Burgos. 

But  it  would  be  wronging  the  memory  of  this 
great  and  good  cavalier  to  pass  in  silence  over 
one  of  his  exploits  in  which  he  gave  a  singular 
instance  of  his  piety.  This  was  in  an  expedition 


864  CHRONICLE  OF  FERN  AN  G  ON Z ALES. 

against  the  ancient  city  of  Sylo.  It  was  not  a 
place  of  much  value  in  itself,  being  situated  in  a 
cold  and  sterile  country,  but  it  had  become  a 
stronghold  of  the  Moors,  whence  they  carried  on 
their  warfare.  This  place  the  count  carried  by 
assault,  entering  it  in  full  armor,  on  his  steed, 
overturning  and  slaying  all  who  opposed  him. 
la  the  fury  of  his  career  he  rode  into  a  spacious 
edifice  which  he  supposed  to  be  a  mosque,  with 
the  pious  intention  of  slaying  every  infidel  he 
might  find  within.  On  looking  round,  however, 
great  was  his  astonishment  at  beholding  images 
of  saints,  the  blessed  cross  of  our  Saviour,  and 
various  other  sacred  objects,  which  announced  a 
church  devoted  to  the  veritable  faith.  Struck 
with  remorse,  he  sprang  from  his  horse,  threw 
himself  upon  his  knees,  and  with  many  tears  im- 
plored pardon  of  God  for  the  sin  he  had  unknow- 
ingly committed.  While  he  was  yet  on  his 
knees,  several  monks  of  the  order  of  St.  Domi- 
nic approached,  meagre  in  looks  and  squalid  in  at- 
tire, but  hailing  him  with  great  joy  as  their 
deliverer.  In  sooth  this  was  a  convent  of  San 
Sebastian,  the  fraternity  of  which  had  remained 
captives  among  the  Moors,  supporting  themselves 
poorly  by  making  baskets,  but  permitted  to  cou- 
tinue  in  the  exercise  of  their  religion. 

Still  filled  with  pious  compuncti6n  for  the  tres- 
pass  he  had  made,  the  count  ordered  that  the  shoes 
should  be  taken  from  his  horse  and  nailed  upon 
the  door  of  the  church ;  for  never,  said  he,  shall 
they  tread  any  other  ground  after  having  trodden 
this  holy  place.  From  that  day,  we  are  told,  it 


CHRONICLE  OF  FERN  AN  GONZALEZ.    365 

has  been  the  custom  to  nail  the  shoes  of  horses  on 
the  portal  of  that  convent  —  a  custom  which  has 
extended  to  many  other  places. 

The  worthy  Fray  Prudencia  de  Sandoval  re- 
cords a  marvelous  memento  of  the  expedition  of 
the  count  against  this  city,  which  remained,  he 
says,  until  his  day.  Not  far  from  the  place,  on  the 
road  which  passes  by  Lara,  is  to  be  seen  the  print 
of  his  horse's  hoofs  in  a  solid  rock,  which  has  re- 
ceived the  impression  as  though  it  had  been  made 
in  softened  wax.  *  It  is  to  be  presumed  that  the 
horse's  hoofs  had  been  gifted  with  miraculous  hard- 
ness in  reward  to  the  count  for  his  pious  oblation 
of  the  shoes. 

i  Sandoval,  p.  313 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

Of  the  Moorish  Host  that  came  up  from  Cordova,  and  bjw 
the  Count  repaired  to  the  Hermitage  of  San  Pedro,  and 
prayed  for  Success  against  them,  and  received  Assurance 
of  Victory  in  a  Vision.  —  Battle  of  Hazinas' 

jHE  worthy  Fray  Antonio  Agapida,  from 
whose  manuscripts  this  memoir  is  ex- 
tracted, passes  by  many  of  the  striking 
and  heroic  deeds  of  the  count,  which  crowd  the 
pages  of  ancient  chroniclers ;  but  the  good  friar 
ever  is  sure  to  dwell  with  delight  upon  any  of 
those  miraculous  occurrences  which  took  place 
in  Spain  in  those  days,  and  which  showed  the 
marked  interposition  of  Heaven  in  behalf  of  the 
Christian  warriors  in  their  battles  with  the  infidels. 
Such  was  the  renowned  battle  of  Hazinas,  which, 
says  Agapida,  for  its  miraculous  events  is  worthy 
of  eternal  blazon. 

Now  so  it  was  that  the  Moorish  king  of  Cor- 
dova had  summoned  all  the  faithful,  both  of  Spain 
and  Africa,  to  assist  him  in  recovering  the  lands 
wrested  from  him  by  the  unbelievers,  and  espe- 
cially by  Count  Fernan  Gonzalez  in  his  late  vic- 
tories; and  such  countless  legions  of  turbaned 
warriors  were  assembled  that  it  was  said  they 
covered  the  plains  of  Andalusia  like  swarms  of 
locusts. 


CHRONICLE   OF  FERN  AN   G  ON Z ALES.    367 

Hearing  of  their  threatening  approach,  the  count 
gathered  together  his  forces  at  Piedrafita,  while 
the  Moors  encamped  in  Hazinas.  When,  however, 
he  beheld  the  mighty  host  arrayed  against  him, 
his  heart  for  once  was  troubled  with  evil  forebod- 
ings, and  calling  to  mind  the  cheering  prognos- 
tications of  the  friar  Pelayo  on  a  like  occasion,  he 
resolved  to  repair  again  to  that  holy  man  for  coun- 
sel. Leaving  his  camp,  therefore,  secretly,  he  set 
out,  accompanied  by  two  cavaliers,  to  seek  the 
chapel  which  he  had  ordered  to  be  built  at  the 
hermitage  of  San  Pedro,  on  the  mountain  over- 
hanging the  river  Arlanza,  but  when  arrived  there 
he  heard  to  his  great  grief  that  the  worthy  friar 
was  dead. 

Entering  the  chapel,  however,  he  knelt  down 
at  the  altar  and  prayed  for  success  in  the  coming 
fight ;  humbly  representing  that  he  had  never, 
like  many  of  the  kings  and  nobles  of  Spain,  done 
homage  to  the  infidels  and  acknowledged  them 
for  sovereigns.  The  count  remained  a  long  time 
at  prayer,  until  sleep  gradually  stole  over  him  ; 
and  as  he  lay  slumbering  before  the  altar  the  holy 
Fray  Pelayo  appeared  before  him  in  a  vision, 
clad  in  garments  as  white  as  snow.  "  Why  sleep- 
est  thou,  Fernan  Gonzalez  ?  "  said  he  ;  "  arise, 
and  go  forth,  and  know  that  thou  shalt  conquer 
those  Moors.  For,  inasmuch  as  thou  art  a  faith- 
ful vassal  of  the  Most  High,  he  has  commanded 
the  Apostle  San  lago  and  myself,  with  many  an- 
gels, to  come  to  thy  aid,  and  we  will  appear  in 
the  battle  clad  in  white  armor,  with  each  of  us  a 
red  cross  upon  our  pennon.  Therefore  arise,  I 
say,  and  go  herce  with  a  valiant  heart." 


368     CHRONICLE   OF  FERN  AN  GONZALEZ. 

The  count  awoke,  and  while  he  was  yet  mus- 
ing upon  the  vision  he  heard  a  voice  saying, 
"  Arise,  and  get  thee  hence  ;  why  dost  thou  lin- 
ger ?  Separate  thy  host  into  three  divisions  :  enter 
the  field  of  battle  by  the  east,  with  the  smallest 
division,  and  I  will  be  with  thee ;  and  let  the  sec- 
ond division  enter  by  the  west,  and  that  shall  be 
aided  by  San  lago ;  and  let  the  third  division  en- 
ter by  the  north.  Know  that  I  am  San  Millan 
who  come  to  thee  with  this  message." 

The  count  departed  joyfully  from  the  chapel, 
and  returned  to  his  army;  and  when  he  told  his 
troops  of  this,  his  second  visit  to  the  hermitage, 
and  of  the  vision  he  had  had,  and  how  the  holy 
friar  San  Pelayo  had  again  assured  him  of  vic- 
tory, their  hearts  were  lifted  up,  and  they  re- 
joiced to  serve  under  a  leader  who  had  such 
excellent  counselors  in  war. 

In  the  evening  preceding  the  battle  Don  Fer- 
nan  Gonzalez  divided  his  forces  as  he  had  been 
ordered.  The  first  division  was  composed  of 
two  hundred  horsemen  and  six  thousand  infantry  ; 
hardy  mountaineers,  light  of  foot  and  of  great 
valor.  In  the  advance  were  Don  Gustios  Gon- 
zalez of  Salas,  and  his  seven  sons  and  two 
nephews,  and  his  brother  Ruy  Velasquez,  and  a 
valiant  cavalier  named  Gonzalo  Dias. 

The  second  division  was  led  by  Don  Lope  de 
Biscaya,  with  the  people  of  Burueba  and  Tre- 
vino,  and  Old  Castile  and  Castro  and  the  Astu- 
rias.  Two  hundred  horsemen  and  six  thousand 
infantry. 

The  third  division  was  led  by  the  count  him- 


CHRONICLE  OF  FERNAN  GONZALEZ.    S69 

self,  and  with  him  went  Ruy  Cavia,  and  Nuno 
Cavia  and  the  Velascos,  whom  the  count  that 
day  dubbed  knights,  and  twenty  esquires  of  the 
count,  whom  he  had  likewise  knighted.  Hi» 
division  consisted  of  four  hundred  and  fifty  horse 
and  fifteen  hundred  foot ;  and  he  told  his  men 
that  if  they  should  not  conquer  the  Moors  on 
the  following  day,  they  should  draw  off  from  the 
battle  when  he  gave  the  word.  Late  at  night, 
when  all  the  camp,  excepting  the  sentinels  and 
guards,  were  buried  in  sleep,  a  light  suddenly 
illumined  the  heavens,  and  a  great  serpent  was 
seen  in  the  air,  wounded  and  covered  with  blood, 
and  vomiting  flames,  and  making  a  loud  hissing 
that  awakened  all  the  soldiers.  They  rushed 
out  of  their  tents,  and  ran  hither  and  thither, 
running  against  each  other  in  their  affright. 
Count  Fernan  Gonzalez  was  awakened  by  their 
outcries,  but  before  he  came  forth  the  serpent 
had  disappeared.  He  rebuked  the  terrors  of  his 
people,  representing  to  them  that  the  Moors  were 
great  necromancers,  and  by  their  arts  could  raise 
devils  to  their  aid ;  and  that  some  Moorish 
astrologer  had  doubtless  raised  this  spectrum  to 
alarm  them ;  but  he  bade  them  be  of  good  heart, 
since  they  had  San  lago  on  their  side,  and  might 
set  Moor,  astrologer,  and  devil  at  defiance. 

In  the  first  day's  fight  Don  Fernan  fought 
hand  to  hand  with  a  powerful  Moor,  who  had 
desired  to  try  his  prowess  with  him.  It  was  an 
obstinate  contest,  in  which  the  Moor  was  slain ; 
but  the  count  so  badly  wounded  that  he  fell  to 
24 


370     CHRONICLE   OF  FERN  AN  GONZALEZ. 

the  earth,  and  had  not  his  men  surrounded  and 
defended  him,  he  would  have  been  slain  or  cap- 
tured. The  battle  lasted  all  day  long,  and  Gus- 
tios  Gonzalez  and  his  kindred  warriors  showed 
prodigies  of  valor.  Don  Fernan,  having  had  his 
wounds  stanched,  remounted  his  horse  and  gal- 
loped about,  giving  courage  to  his  men ;  but  he 
was  covered  with  dust  and  blood,  and  so  hoarse 
that  he  could  no  longer  be  heard.  The  sun 
went  down,  the  Moors  kept  on  fighting,  confiding 
in  their  great  numbers.  The  count,  seeing  the 
night  approaching,  ordered  the  trumpets  to  be 
sounded,  and,  collecting  his  troops,  made  one  gen- 
eral charge  on  the  Moors,  and  drove  them  from 
the  field.  He  then  drew  off  his  men  to  their 
tents,  where  the  weary  troops  found  refreshment 
and  repose,  though  they  slept  all  night  upon  their 
arms. 

On  the  second  day  the  count  rose  before  the 
dawn,  and  having  attended  mass  like  a  good 
Christian,  attended  next  to  his  horses,  like  a  good 
cavalier,  seeing  with  his  own  eyes  that  they  were 
well  fed  and  groomed,  and  prepared  for  the  field. 
The  battle  this  day  was  obstinate  as  the  day  be- 
fore, with  great  valor  and  loss  on  either  side. 

On  the  third  day  the  count  led  forth  his  forces 
at  an  early  hour,  raising  his  silver  standard  of 
the  cross,  and  praying  devoutly  for  aid.  Then 
lowering  their  Innces,  the  Castilians  shouted  San 
lago !  San  lago !  and  rushed  to  the  attack. 

Don  Gustios  Gonzalo  de  Salas,  the  leader  of 
one  of  the  divisions,  made  a  lane  into  the  centre 


CHRONICLE   OF  FERN  AN  GONZALEZ.    371 

Df  the  Moorish  host,  dealing  death  on  either  side. 
He  was  met  by  a  Moorish  cavalier  of  powerful 
frame.  Covering  themselves  with  their  shields, 
they  attacked  each  other  with  great  fury ;  but 
the  days  of  Gustios  Gonzalo  were  numbered, 
and  the  Moor  slew  him,  and  with  him  fell  a 
nephew  of  Count  Fernan,  arid  many  of  his  prin- 
cipal cavaliers. 

Count  Fernan  Gonzalez  encountered  the  Moor 
who  had  just  slain  his  friend.  The  infidel  would 
have  avoided  him,  having  heard  that  never  man 
escaped  alive  from  a  conflict  with  him  ;  but  the 
count  gave  him  a  furious  thrust  with  his  lance, 
which  stretched  him  dead  upon  the  field. 

The  Moors,  however,  continued  to  press  the 
count  sorely,  and  their  numbers  threatened  to 
overwhelm  him.  Then  he  put  up  a  prayer  for 
the  aid  promised  in  his  vision,  and  of  a  sudden 
the  Apostle  San  lago  appeared,  with  a  great  and 
shining  company  of  angels  in  white,  bearing  the 
device  of  a  red  cross,  and  all  rushing  upon  the 
Moors.  The  Moors  were  dismayed  at  the  sight 
of  this  reinforcement  to  the  enemy.  The  Chris- 
tians, on  the  other  hand,  recovered  their  forces, 
knowing  the  Apostle  San  lago  to  be  at  hand. 
They  charged  the  Moors  with  new  vigor,  and 
put  them  to  flight,  and  pursued  them  for  two 
days,  killing  and  making  captive.  They  then 
returned  and  gathered  together  the  bodies  of  the 
Christians  who  had  been  slain,  and  buried  them 
in  the  chapel  of  San  Pedro  of  Arlanza  and  in 
other  hermitages.  The  bodies  of  the  Moors 
were  piled  up  and  covered  with  earth,  forming  a 


372     CHRONICLE   OF  FERN  AN  GONZALEZ. 

mound  which  is  still  to  be  seen  on  the  field  of 
battle. 

Some  have  ascribed  to  the  signal  worn  in  this 
battle  by  the  celestial  warriors  the  origin  of  the 
Cross  of  Calatrava. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

The  Count  imprisoned  by  the  King  of  Leon.  —  The  Countess 
concerts  his  Escape.  —  Leon  and  Castile  united  by  the  Mar- 
riage of  the  Prince  Ordoiio  with  Urraca,  the  Daughter  of  the 
Count  by  his  first  Wife. 

JOT  long  after  this  most  renowned  and 
marvelous  battle,  a  Moorish  captain 
named  Aceyfa  became  a  vassal  of  the 
Count  Don  Fernan.  Under  his  protection,  and 
that  of  a  rich  and  powerful  Castilian  cavalier 
named  Diego  Muiion,  he  rebuilt  Salamanca  and 
Ledesma,  and  several  places  on  the  river  Tor- 
mes,  which  had  been  desolated  and  deserted  in 
times  past. 

Ramiro  the  Second,  who  was  at  this  time  King 
of  Leon,  was  alarmed  at  seeing  a  strong  line  of 
Moorish  fortresses  erected  along  the  borders  of 
his  territories,  and  took  the  field  with  an  army  to 
drive  the  Moor  Aceyfa  from  the  land.  The 
proud  spirit  of  Count  Fernan  Gonzalez  was 
aroused  at  this  attack  upon  his  Moorish  vassal, 
which  he  considered  an  indignity  offered  to  him- 
self; so  being  seconded  by  Don  Diego  Munon,  he 
marched  forth  with  his  chivalry  to  protect  the 
Moor.  In  the  present  instance  he  had  trusted  to 
his  own  head,  and  had  neglected  to  seek  advice  of 
saint  or  hermit ;  so  his  army  was  defeated  by 


374     CHRONULE  OF  FERN  AN  GONZALEZ. 

King  Ramiro,  and  himself  and  Don  Diego  Munon 
taken  prisoner.  The  latter  was  sent  in  chains  to 
the  castle  of  Gordon  ;  but  the  count  was  carried 
to  Leon,  where  he  was  confined  in  a  tower  of  the 
wall,  which  to  this  day  is  pointed  out  as  his 
prison.1 

All  Castile  was  thrown  into  grief  and  conster- 
nation by  this  event,  and  lamentations  were  heard 
throughout  the  land,  as  though  the  count  had 
been  dead.  The  countess,  however,  did  not 
waste  time  in  idle  tears,  for  she  was  a  lady  of 
most  valiant  spirit.  She  forthwith  assembled 
five  hundred  cavaliers,  chosen  men  of  tried  loy- 
alty and  devotion  to  the  count.  They  met  in  the 
chapel  of  the  palace,  and  took  an  oath  upon  the 
Holy  Evangelists  to  follow  the  countess  through 
all  difficulties  and  dangers,  and  to  obey  implicitly 
all  her  commands  for  the  rescue  of  their  lord. 
With  this  band  the  countess  departed  secretly  at 
nightfall,  and  travelled  rapidly  until  morning, 
when  they  left  the  roads,  and  took  to  the  moun- 
tains, lest  their  march  should  be  discovered.  Ar- 
rived near  to  Leon,  she  halted  her  band  in  a 
thick  wood  in  the  mountain  of  Samosa  where  she 
ordered  them  to  remain  in  secrecy.  Then  cloth- 
ing herself  as  a  pilgrim  with  her  staff  and  pan- 
nier, she  sent  word  to  King  Ramiro  that  she  was 
on  a  pilgrimage  to  San  lago,  and  entreated  that 

*  In  the  Cronica  General  de  Espana,  this  imprisonment  is 
gaid  to  have  been  by  King  Sancho  the  Fat;  but  the  cautious 
Agapida  goes  according  to  his  favorite  Sandoval  in  attrib- 
uting it  to  King  Ramiro,  and  in  so  doing  he  is  supported  by 
the  Chroniclt  of  Bleda,  L.  3,  c.  19. 


CHRONICLE  OF  FERN  AN  GONZALEZ.    375 

ihe  might  have  permission  to  visit  her  husband 
in  his  prison.  King  Rarniro  not  merely  granted 
her  request,  but  sallied  forth  above  a  league  from 
the  city  with  a  great  retinue  to  do  her  honor.  So 
the  countess  entered  a  second  time  the  prison 
where  the  count  lay  in  chains,  and  stood  before 
him  as  his  protecting  angel.  At  sight  of  him  in 
this  miserable  and  dishonored  state,  however,  the 
valor  of  spirit  which  had  hitherto  sustained  her 
gave  way,  and  tears  flowed  from  her  eyes.  The 
count  received  her  joyfully,  and  reproached  her 
with  her  tears ;  "  for  it  becomes  us,"  said  he,  "  to 
submit  to  what  is  imposed  upon  us  by  God." 

The  countess  now  sent  to  entreat  the  king  that 
while  she  remained  with  the  count  his  chains 
should  be  taken  off.  The  king  again  granted 
her  request ;  and  the  count  was  freed  from  his 
irons  and  an  excellent  bed  prepared  in  his 
prison. 

The  countess  remained  with  him  all  night  and 
concerted  his  escape.  Before  it  was  daylight  she 
gave  him  her  pilgrim's  dress  and  staff,  and  the 
count  went  forth  from  the  chamber  disguised  a* 
his  wife.  The  porter  at  the  outer  portal,  think- 
ing it  to  be  the  countess,  would  have  waited  for 
orders  from  the  king ;  but  the  count,  in  a  feigned 
voice,  entreated  not  to  be  detained,  lest  he  should 
not  be  able  to  perform  his  pilgrimage.  The  por- 
ter, mistrusting  no  deceit,  opened  the  door.  The 
count  issued  forth,  repaired  to  a  place  pointed 
out  by  the  countess,  where  the  two  cavaliers 
awaited  him  with  a  fleet  horse.  They  all  sallied 
quietly  forth  from  the  ?ity  at  the  opening  of  the 


376     CHRONICLE  OF  FERN  AN  GONZALEZ. 

gates,  until  they  found  themselves  clear  of  the 
walls,  when  they  put  spurs  to  their  horses  and 
made  their  way  to  the  mountain  of  Samosa. 
Here  the  count  was  received  with  shouts  of  joy 
by  the  cavaliers  whom  the  countess  had  left 
there  in  concealment. 

As  the  day  advanced  the  keeper  of  the  prison 
entered  the  apartment  of  Don  Fernan,  but  was 
astonished  to  find  there  the  beautiful  countess  in 
place  of  her  warrior  husband.  He  conducted 
her  before  the  king,  accusing  her  of  the  fraud  by 
which  she  had  effected  the  escape  of  the  count. 
King  Ramiro  was  greatly  incensed,  and  he  de- 
manded of  the  countess  how  she  dared  to  do  such 
an  act.  "  I  dared,"  replied  she, "  because  I  saw  my 
husband  in  misery,  and  felt  it  my  duty  to  relieve 
him ;  and  I  dared  because  I  was  the  daughter  of 
a  king,  and  the  wife  of  a  distinguished  cavalier ; 
as  such  I  trust  to  your  chivalry  to  treat  me." 

The  king  was  charmed  with  her  intrepidity. 
"  Senora,"  said  he,  "  you  have  acted  well  and  like 
a  noble  lady,  and  it  will  redound  to  your  laud 
and  honor."  So  he  commanded  that  she  should 
be  conducted  to  her  husband  in  a  manner  befit- 
ting a  lady  of  high  and  noble  rank  ;  and  the 
count  was  overjoyed  to  receive  her  in  safety,  and 
they  returned  to  their  dominions  and  entered 
Burgos  at  the  head  of  their  train  of  cavaliers, 
amidst  the  transports  and  acclamations  of  their 
people.  And  King  Ramiro  sought  the  amity  of 
Count  Fernan  Gonzalez,  and  proposed  that  they 
should  unite  their  houses  by  some  matrimonial 
alliance  which  should  serve  as  a  bond  of  mutual 


CHRONICLE  OF  FERN  AN  GONZALEZ.    377 

security.  The  count  gladly  listened  to  his  pro- 
posals. He  had  a  fair  daughter  named  Urraca, 
by  his  first  wife,  who  was  now  arrived  at  a  mar- 
riageable age ;  so  it  was  agreed  that  nuptials 
should  be  solemnized  between  her  and  the  Prince 
Ordona,  son  of  King  Ramiro ;  and  all  Leon  and 
Castile  rejoiced  at  this  union,  which  promised 
tranquillity  tc  the  land. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

Moorish  Incursion  into  Castile.  —  Battle  of  San  Estevan.  — 
Of  Pascual  Vivas  and  the  Miracle  that  Befell  him.  —Death 
of  Ordono  III. 

JOR  several  succeeding  years  of  the  career 
of  this  most  redoubtable  cavalier,  the 
most  edifying  and  praiseworthy  traces 
which  remain,  says  Fray  Antonio  Agapida,  are 
to  be  found  in  the  archives  of  various  monasteries, 
consisting  of  memorials  of  pious  gifts  and  endow- 
ments made  by  himself  and  his  countess,  Dona 
Sancha. 

In  the  process  of  time  King  Ramiro  died,  and 
was  succeeded  by  his  son  Ordono  III.,  the  same 
who  had  married  Urraca,  the  daughter  of  Count 
Fernan.  He  was  surnamed  the  Fierce,  either 
from  his  savage  temper  or  savage  aspect.  He 
had  a  step-brother  named  Don  Sanclio,  nephew, 
by  the  mother's  side,  of  King  Garcia  of  Navarre, 
surnamed  the  Trembler.  This  Don  Sancho  rose 
in  arms  against  Ordono  at  the  very  outset  of  his 
reign,  seeking  to  deprive  him  of  his  crown.  He 
applied  for  assistance  to  his  uncle  Garcia  and  to 
Count  Fernan  Gonzalez,  and  it  is  said  both  favored 
his  pretensions.  Nay,  the  count  soon  appeared 
in  the  field  in  company  with  King  Garcia  the 
Trembler,  in  support  of  Prince  Sanclio.  It  may 


CHRONICLE   OF  FERN  AN  GONZALEZ.    379 

seem  strange  that  he  should  take  up  arms  against 
his  own  son-in-law  ;  and  so  it  certainly  appeared 
to  Ordofio  III.,  for  he  was  so  incensed  against  the 
count  that  he  repudiated  his  wife  Urraca  and  sent 
her  back  to  her  father,  telling  him  that  since  he 
would  not  acknowledge  him  as  king,  he  should 
not  have  him  for  son-in-law. 

The  kingdom  now  became  a  prey  to  civil  wars  ; 
the  restless  part  of  the  subjects  of  King  Ordoiio 
rose  in  rebellion,  and  everything  was  in  confusion. 
King  Ordofio  succeeded,  however,  in  quelling  the 
rebellion,  and  defended  himself  so  ably  against 
King  Garcia  and  Count  Fernan  Gonzalez,  that 
they  returned  home  without  effecting  their  object. 

About  this  time,  say  the  records  of  Compostello, 
the  sinful  dissensions  of  the  Christians  brought 
on  them  a  visible  and  awful  scourge  from  Heaven. 
A  great  flame,  or,  as  it  were,  a  cloud  of  fire, 
passed  throughout  the  land,  burning  towns,  de- 
stroying men  and  beasts,  and  spreading  horror  and 
devastation  even  over  the  sea.  It  passed  over 
Zamora,  consuming  a  great  part  of  the  place ;  it 
scorched  Castro  Xerez  likewise,  and  Brebiesco  and 
Pan  Corvo  in  its  progress,  and  in  Burgos  one 
hundred  houses  were  consumed. 

"  These,"  says  the  worthy  Agapida,  "  were  fiery 
tokens  of  the  displeasure  of  Heaven  at  the  sinful 
conduct  of  the  Christians  in  warring  upon  each 
other,  instead  of  joining  their  arms  like  brethren 
in  the  righteous  endeavor  to  extirpate  the  vile 
sect  of  Mahomet." 

While  the  Christians  were  thus  fighting  among 
themselves,  the  Moors,  taking  advantage  of  their 


S80     CHRONICLE   G?  FERN  AX  GONZALEZ. 

discord,  came  with  a  great  army,  and  made  an  in« 
cursion  into  Castile  as  far  as  Burgos.  King  Or- 
dono  and  Count  Fernan  Gonzalez,  alarmed  at  the 
common  danger,  came  to  a  reconciliation,  and  took 
arms  together  against  the  Moors ;  though  it  does 
not  appear  that  the  king  received  again  his  re- 
pudiated wife  Urcaca.  These  confederate  princes 
gave  the  Moors  a  great  battle  near  to  San  Estevan. 
"  This  battle,"  says  Fray  Antonio  Agapida,  "  is 
chiefly  memorable  for  a  miracle  which  occurred 
there,"  and  which  is  recorded  by  the  good  friar 
with  an  unction  and  perfect  credence  worthy  of  a 
monkish  chronicler. 

The  Christians  were  incastellated  at  San  Este- 
van de  Gormaz,  which  is  near  the  banks  of  the 
Douro.  The  Moors  had  possession  of  the  fortress 
of  Gormaz,  about  a  league  further  up  the  river  on 
a  lofty  and  rocky  height. 

The  battle  commenced  at  the  dawn  of  day. 
Count  Fernan  Gonzalez,  however,  before  taking 
the  field,  repaired  with  his  principal  cavaliers  to 
the  church,  to  attend  the  first  morning's  mass. 
Now,  at  this  time,  there  was  in  the  service  of  the 
count  a  brave  cavalier  named  Pascual  Vivas,  who 
was  as  pious  as  he  was  brave,  and  would  pray 
with  as  much  fervor  and  obstinacy  as  he  would 
fight.  This  cavalier  made  it  a  religious  rule  with 
himself,  or  rather  had  made  a  solemn  vow,  that, 
whenever  he  entered  a  church  in  the  morning,  he 
would  on  no  account  leave  it  until  all  the  masses 
were  finished. 

On  the  present  occasion  the  firmness  of  this 
brave  but  pious  cavalier  was  put  to  a  severe  proof 


CHRONICLE   OF  FERN  AN  GONZALEZ.    381 

When  the  first  mass  was  finished,  the  count  and 
his  cavaliers  rose  and  sallied  from  the  church  in 
clanking  armor,  and  soon  after  the  sound  of  trum- 
pet and  quick  tramp  of  steed  told  that  they  were 
off  to  the  encounter.  Pascual  Vivas,  however, 
remained  kneeling  all  in  armor  before  the  altar, 
waiting,  according  to  custom,  until  all  the  masses 
should  be  finished.  The  masses  that  morning 
were  numerous,  and  hour  after  hour  passed  away  ; 
yet  still  the  cavalier  remained  kneeling  all  in 
armor,  with  weapon  in  hand,  yet  so  zealous  in  his 
devotion  that  he  never  turned  his  head. 

All  this  while  the  esquire  of  the  cavalier  was 
at  the  door  of  the  church,  holding  his  war-horse, , 
and  the  esquire  beheld  with  surprise  the  count 
and  his  warriors  depart,  while  his  lord  remained 
in  the  chapel ;  and,  from  the  height  on  which  the 
chapel  stood,  he  could  see  the  Christian  host  en- 
counter the  Moors  at  the  ford  of  the  river,  and 
could  hear  the  distant  sound  of  trumpets  and  din 
of  battle ;  and  at  the  sound  the  war-horse  pricked 
his  ears  and  snuffed  the  air  and  pawed  the  earth, 
and  showed  all  the  eagerness  of  a  noble  steed  to 
be  among  the  armed  men,  but  still  Puscual  Vivas 
came  not  out  of  the  chapel.  The  esquire  was 
wroth,  and  blushed  for  his  lord,  for  he  thought  it 
was  through  cowardice  and  not  piety  that  he  re- 
mained in  the  chapel  while  his  comrades  were 
fighting  in  the  field. 

At  length  the  masses  were  finished,  and  Pascual 
Vivas  was  about  to  sally  forth  when  horsemen 
came  riding  up  the  hill  with  shouts  of  victory,  for 
the  battle  was  over  and  the  Moors  completely 
vanquished. 


382     CHRONICLE   GF  FERN  AS    GONZALEZ. 

When  Pascual  Vivas  heard  this  he  was  so 
troubled  in  mind  that  he  dared  not  leave  the 
chapel  nor  come  into  the  presence  of  the  count, 
for  he  said  to  himself,  "  Surely  I  shall  be  looked 
upon  as  a  recreant  knight,  who  have  hidden  my- 
self in  the  hour  of  danger."  Shortly,  however, 
came  some  of  his  fellow-cavaliers,  summoning  him 
to  the  presence  of  the  count ;  and  as  he  went  with 
a  beating  heart,  they  lauded  him  for  the  valor  he 
had  displayed  and  the  great  services  he  had 
rendered,  saying  that  to  the  prowess  of  his  arm 
they  owed  the  victory.  The  good  knight,  imagin- 
ing they  were  scoffing  at  him,  felt  still  more  cast 
down  in  spirit,  and  entered  the  presence  of  the 
count  covered  with  confusion.  Here  again  he 
was  received  with  praises  and  caresses,  at  which 
he  was  greatly  astonished,  but  still  thought  it  all 
done  in  mockery.  When  the  truth  came  to  be 
known,  however,  all  present  were  filled  with 
wonder,  for  it  appeared  as  if  this  cavalier  had 
been,  at  the  same  moment,  in  the  chapel  and  in 
the  field ;  for  while  he  remained  on  his  knees  be- 
fore the  altar,  with  his  steed  pawing  the  earth  at 
the  door,  a  warrior  exactly  resembling  him,  with 
the  same  arms,  device,  and  steed,  had  appeared  in 
the  hottest  of  the  fight,  penetrating  and  over- 
throwing whole  squadrons  of  Moors ;  that  he  had 
cut  his  way  to  the  standard  of  the  enemy,  killed 
the  standard-bearer,  and  carried  off  the  banner  in 
triumph ;  that  his  pour-point  and  coat  of  mail 
were  cut  to  pieces,  and  his  horse  covered  with 
wounds ;  yet  still  he  fought  on,  and  through  his 
valor  chiefly  the  victory  was  obtained. 


CHRONICLE  OF  FERN  AN  GONZALEZ.    383 

What  more  moved  astonishment  was  that  for 
every  wound  received  by  the  warrior  and  his 
steed  in  the  field,  there  appeared  marks  on  the 
pourpoint  and  coat  of  mail  and  upon  the  steed  of 
Pascual  Vivas,  so  that  he  had  the  semblance  of 
having  been  in  the  severest  press  of  the  battle. 

The  matter  was  now  readily  explained  by  the 
worthy  friars  who  followed  the  armies  in  those 
days,  and  who  were  skillful  in  expounding  the 
miracles  daily  occurring  in  those  holy  wars.  A 
miraculous  intervention  had  been  vouchsafed  to 
Pascual  Vivas.  That  his  piety  in  remaining  at 
his  prayers  might  not  put  him  to  shame  before 
sinful  men,  an  angel  bearing  his  form  and  sem- 
blance had  taken  his  place  in  battle,  and  fought 
while  he  prayed. 

The  matter  being  thus  explained,  all  present 
were  filled  with  pious  admiration,  and  Pascual 
Vivas,  if  he  ceased  to  be  extolled  as  a  warrior, 
came  near  being  canonized  as  a  saint.1 

King  Ordoiio  III.  did  not  long  survive  this 
battle.  Scarce  had  he  arrived  at  Zamora  on  his 

1  Exactly  the  same  kind  of  miracle  is  recorded  as  happening 
in  the  same  place  to  a  cavalier  of  the  name  of  Don  Fernan 
Antolenez,  in  the  service  of  the  Count  Garcia  Fernandez. 
Fray  Antonio  Agapida  has  no  doubt  that  the  same  miracle 
did  actually  happen  to  both  cavaliers;  "  for  in  those  days," 
gays  he,  "  there  was  such  a  demand  for  miracles  that  the  same 
had  frequently  to  be  repeated;"  witness  the  repeated  ap- 
pearance of  Santiago  in  precisely  the  same  manner,  to  save 
Christian  armies  from  imminent  danger  of  defeat,  and 
achieve  wonderful  victories  over  the  infidels,  as  we  find  re- 
corded throughout  the  Spanish  chronicles. 


384     CHRONICLE   OF  FERN  AN  GONZALEZ. 

way  homeward,  when  he  was  seized  with  a  mor- 
tal malady  of  which  he  died.  He  was  suc- 
ceeded by  his  brother  Don  Sancho,  the  same  who 
had  formerly  endeavored  to  dispossess  him  of 
bis  throne. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 


King  Sancho  the  Fat.  —  Of  the  Homage  he  exacted 
Count  Fernan  Gonzalez,  and  of  the  strange  Bargain  that 
he  made  with  him  for  the  purchase  of  his  Horse  and  Fal- 


SANCHO  I.,  on  ascending  the 
throne,  held  a  cortes  at  Leon,  where  all 
the  great  men  of  the  kingdom  and  the 
princes  who  owed  allegiance  to  him  were  expected 
to  attend  and  pay  homage.  As  the  court  of 
Leon  was  excessively  tenacious  of  its  claim  to 
sovereignty  over  Castile,  the  absence  of  Count 
Fernan  Gonzalez  was  noticed  with  great  dis- 
pleasure by  the  king,  who  sent  missives  to  him 
commanding  his  attendance.  The  count  being 
proud  of  heart,  and  standing  much  upon  the  in- 
dependence of  Castile,  was  unwilling  to  kiss  the 
hand  of  any  one  in  token  of  vassalage.  He  was 
at  length  induced  to  stifle  his  repugnance  and  re- 
pair to  the  court,  but  he  went  in  almost  regal 
style  and  with  a  splendid  retinue,  more  like  a 
sovereign  making  a  progress  through  his  do- 
minions. 

As    he   approached    the   city    of  Leon,  King 
Sancho  came  forth  in  great  state  to  receive  him, 
and  they  met  apparently  as  friends,  but  there  was 
enmity  against  each  other  in  their  hearts. 
25 


386     CHRONICLE  OF  FERNAN  GONZALEZ. 

The  rich  and  gallant  array  with  which  Count 
Fenian  made  his  entry  in  Leon  was  the  theme  of 
every  tongue  ;  but  nothing  attracted  more  notice 
than  a  falcon,  thoroughly  trained,  which  he  car- 
ried on  his  hand,  and  an  Arabian  horse  of  won- 
derful beauty,  which  he  had  gained  in  his  wars 
with  the  Moors.  King  Sancho  was  seized  with 
a  vehement  desire  to  possess  this  horse  and  fal- 
con, and  offered  to  purchase  them  of  the  count. 
Don  Fernan  haughtily  declined  to  enter  into 
traffic  ;  but  offered  them  to  the  monarch  as  a  gift. 
The  king  was  equally  punctilious  in  refusing  to 
accept  a  favor  ;  but  as  monarchs  do  not  easily 
forego  anything  on  which  they  have  set  their 
hearts,  it  became  evident  to  Count  Fernan  that 
it  was  necessary,  for  the  sake  of  peace,  to  part 
with  his  horse  and  falcon.  To  save  his  dignity, 
however,  he  asked  a  price  corresponding  to  his 
rank ;  for  it  was  beneath  a  cavalier,  he  said ,  to 
sell  his  things  cheap,  like  a  mean  man.  He  de- 
manded, therefore,  one  thousand  marks  of  silver 
for  the  horse  and  falcon,  —  to  be  paid  on  a  stip- 
ulated day ;  if  not  paid  on  that  day  the  price  to 
be  doubled  on  the  next,  and  on  each  day's  fur- 
ther delay  the  price  should  in  like  manner  be 
doubled.  To  these  terms  the  king  gladly  con- 
sented, and  the  terms  were  specified  in  a  written 
agreement,  which  was  duly  signed  and  wit- 
nessed. The  king  thus  gained  the  horse  and  fal 
con,  but  it  will  be  hereinafter  shown  that  this  in- 
dulgence of  his  fancy  cost  him  dear. 

This  eager  desire  for  an   Arabian    steed  ap- 
pears the  more  singular  in  Sancho  the  First,  from 


CHRONICLE   OF  FERN  AN  GONZALEZ.    387 

his  being  so  corpulent  that  he  could  not  sit  on 
horseback.  Hence  he  is  commonly  known  in 
history  by  the  appellation  of  King  Sancho  the  Fat. 
His  unwieldy  bulk,  also,  may  be  one  reason  why 
he  soon  lost  the  favor  of  his  warrior  subjects, 
who  looked  upon  him  as  a  mere  trencherman  and 
bed-presser,  and  not  fitted  to  command  men  who 
lived  in  the  saddle,  and  had  rather  fight  than 
either  eat  or  sleep. 

King  Sancho  saw  that  he  might  soon  have 
hard  fighting  to  maintain  his  throne ;  and  how 
could  he  figure  as  a  warrior  who  could  not  mount 
on  horseback.  In  his  anxiety  he  repaired  to 
his  uncle  Garcia,  king  of  Navarre,  surnamed  the 
Trembler,  who  was  an  exceeding  meagre  man, 
and  asked  counsel  of  him  what  he  should  do  to 
cure  himself  of  this  troublesome  corpulency 
Garcia  the  Trembler  was  totally  at  a  loss  for  a 
recipe,  his  own  leanness  being  a  gift  of  Nature  ; 
he  advised  him,  however,  to  repair  to  Abderah- 
man,  the  Miramamolin  of  Spain  and  King  of 
Cordova,  with  whom  he  was  happily  at  peace, 
and  consult  with  him,  and  seek  advice  of  the 
Arabian  physicians  resident  at  Cordova  —  the 
Moors  being  generally  a  spare  and  active  people, 
and  the  Arabian  physicians  skillful  above  all  others 
in  the  treatment  of  diseases. 

King  Sancho  the  Fat,  therefore,  sent  amicable 
messages  beforehand  to  the  Moorish  miramamo- 
lin,  and  followed  them  as  fast  as  his  corpulency 
would  permit;  and  he  was  well  received  by  the 
Moorish  sovereign,  and  remained  for  a  long  time 


388     CHRONICLE   OF  FERN  AN  GONZALEZ. 

at  Cordova,  diligently  employed  in  decreasing  his 
rotundity. 

While  the  corpulent  king  was  thus  growing 
leaner,  discontent  brokb  out  among  his  subjects 
at  home ;  and,  Count  Fernan  Gonzalez  taking 
advantage  of  it,  stirred  up  an  insurrection,  and 
placed  upon  the  throne  of  Leon  Ordono  the 
Fourth,  surnamed  the  Bad,  who  was  a  kinsman 
of  the  late  King  Ordono  III.,  and  he  moreover 
gave  him  his  daughter  for  wife  —  his  daughter 
Urraca,  the  repudiated  wife  of  the  late  king. 

If  the  good  Count  Fernan  Gonzalez  supposed 
he  had  fortified  himself  by  this  alliance,  and  that 
his  daughter  was  now  fixed  for  the  second  time, 
and  more  firmly  than  ever,  on  the  throne  of 
Leon,  he  was  grievously  deceived ;  for  Sancho 
I.  returned  from  Cordova  at  the  head  of  a  pow- 
erful host  of  Moors,  and  was  no  longer  to  be 
called  the  Fat,  for  he  had  so  well  succeeded 
under  the  regimen  prescribed  by  the  miramamo- 
lin  and  his  Arabian  physicians,  that  he  could 
vault  into  the  saddle  with  merely  putting  his 
hand  upon  the  pommel. 

Ordono  IV.  was  a  man  of  puny  heart;  no 
sooner  did  he  hear  of  the  approach  of  King 
Sancho,  and  of  his  marvelous  leanness  and  agil- 
ity, than  he  was  seized  with  terror,  and,  abandon- 
ing his  throne  and  his  twice-repudiated  spouse 
Urraca,  he  made  for  the  mountains  of  Asturias, 
or,  as  others  assert,  was  overtaken  by  the  Moon 
and  killed  with  lances. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

Further  of  the  Horse  and  Falcon. 

|ING  SANCHO  I.,  having  reestablished 
himself  on  the  throne,  and  recovered 
the  good-will  of  his  subjects  by  his 
leanness  and  horsemanship,  sent  a  stern  message 
to  Count  Fernan  Gonzalez  to  come  to  his  cortes, 
or  resign  his  countship.  The  count  was  exceed- 
ingly indignant  at  this  order,  and  feared,  more- 
over, that  some  indignity  or  injury  would  be 
offered  him  should  he  repair  to  Leon.  He  made 
the  message  known  to  his  principal  cavaliers,  and 
requested  their  advice.  Most  of  them  were  of 
opinion  that  he  should  not  go  to  the  cortes.  Don 
Fernan  declared,  however,  that  he  would  not  act 
disloyally  in  omitting  to  do  that  which  the  counts 
of  Castile  had  always  performed,  although  he 
felt  that  he  incurred  the  risk  of  death  or  im- 
prisonment. Leaving  his  son,  Garcia  Fernan- 
dez, therefore,  in  charge  of  his  councilors,  ho 
departed  for  Leon  with  only  seven  cavaliers. 

As  he  approached  the  gates  of  that  city,  no 
one  came  forth  to  greet  him,  as  had  always  been 
the  custom.  This  he  considered  an  evil  sign 
Presenting  himself  before  the  king,  he  would 
have  kissed  hi?  hand,  but  the  monarch  withheld 


390     CHRONICLE   OF  FLRNAN  GONZALEZ. 

it.  He  charged  the  count  with  being  vainglo 
rious  and  disloyal ;  with  having  absented  h'mself 
from  the  cortes  and  conspired  against  his  throne ; 
—  for  all  which  he  should  make  atonement,  and 
should  give  hostages  or  pledges  for  his  good  faith 
before  he  left  the  court. 

The  count  in  reply  accounted  for  absenting 
himself  from  the  cortes  by  the  perfidious  treat- 
ment he  had  formerly  experienced  at  Leon.  As 
to  any  grievances  the  king  might  have  to  com- 
plain of,  he  stood  ready  to  redress  them,  provided 
the  king  would  make  good  his  own  written  en- 
gagement, signed  with  his  own  hand  and  sealed 
with  his  own  seal,  to  pay  for  the  horse  and  fal- 
con which  he  had  purchased  of  the  count  on  his 
former  visit  to  Leon.  Three  years  had  now 
elapsed  since  the  day  appointed  for  the  payment, 
and  in  the  mean  time  the  price  had  gone  on  daily 
doubling,  according  to  stipulation. 

They  parted  mutually  indignant ;  and,  after 
the  count  had  retired  to  his  quarters,  the  king, 
piqued  to  maintain  his  royal  word,  summoned  his 
major-domo,  and  ordered  him  to  take  a  large 
amount  of  treasure  and  carry  it  to  the  Count  of 
Castile  in  payment  of  his  demand.  So  the 
major-domo  repaired  to  the  count  with  a  great 
sack  of  money  to  settle  with  him  for  the  horse 
and  hawk  ;  but  when  he  came  to  cast  up  the  ac- 
count, and  double  it  each  day  that  had  intervened 
since  the  appointed  day  of  payment,  the  major- 
domo,  though  an  expert  man  at  figures,  was 
totally  confounded,  and,  returning  to  the  king, 
assured  him  that  all  the  money  in  the  world 


CHRONICLE  OF  FERN  AN  GONZALEZ.    391 

would  not  suffice  to  pay  the  debt.  King  Sancho 
was  totally  at  a  loss  how  to  keep  his  word,  and 
pay  off  a  debt  which  was  more  than  enough  to 
ruin  him.  Grievously  did  he  repent  his  first 
experience  in  traffic,  and  found  that  it  is  not  safe 
even  for  a  monarch  to  trade  in  horses. 

In  the  mean  time  the  count  was  suffered  to 
return  to  Castile  ;  but  he  did  not  let  the  matter 
rest  here  ;  for,  being  sorely  incensed  at  the  in- 
dignities he  had  experienced,  he  sent  missives  to 
King  Sancho,  urging  his  demand  of  payment  for 
the  horse  or  falcon  —  menacing  otherwise  to 
maRe  seizures  by  way  of  indemnification.  Re- 
ceiving no  satisfactory  reply,  he  made  a  foray 
into  the  kingdom  of  Leon,  and  brought  off  great 
spoil  of  sheep  and  cattle. 

King  Sancho  now  saw  that  the  count  was  too 
bold  and  urgent  a  creditor  to  be  trifled  with.  In 
his  perplexity  he  assembled  the  estates  of  his  king- 
dom, and  consulted  them  upon  this  momentous 
affair.  His  counselors,  like  himself,  were  griev- 
ously perplexed  between  the  sanctity  of  the  royal 
word  and  the  enormity  of  the  debt.  After  much 
deliberation  they  suggested  a  compromise  —  the 
Count  Fernan  Gonzalez  to  relinquish  the  debt, 
jind  in  lieu  thereof  to  be  released  from  his  vassal- 
age. 

The  count  agreed  right  gladly  to  this  compro- 
mise, being  thus  relieved  from  all  tribute  and  impo- 
sition, and  from  the  necessity  of  kissing  the  hand 
of  any  man  in  the  world  as  his  sovereign.  Thua 
did  King  Sancho  pay  with  the  sovereignty  of 


392     CHRONICLE  OF  FERN  AN  GONZALEZ. 

Castile  for  a  horse  and  falcon,  and  thus  were  the 
Castilians  relieved,  by  a  skillful  bargain  in  horse- 
dealing,  from  all  subjection  to  the  kingdom  of 


Crordca  de  Alonzo  el  Sabio,  pt.  3-  c.  19. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

The  Last  Campaign  of  Count  Fernan.  —  His  Death. 

HE  good  Count  Fernan  Gonzalez  was 
now  well  stricken  in  years.  The  fire 
of  youth  was  extinct,  the  pride  and  am- 
bition of  manhood  were  over  ;  instead  of  erecting 
palaces  and  lofty  castles,  he  began  now  to  turn 
his  thoughts  upon  the  grave  and  to  build  his  last 
earthly  habitation,  the  sepulchre. 

Before  erecting  his  own,  he  had  one  built  of 
rich  and  stately  workmanship  for  his  first  wife, 
the  object  of  his  early  love,  and  had  her  remains 
conveyed  to  it  and  interred  with  great  solemnity. 
His  own  sepulchre,  according  to  ancient  promise, 
was  prepared  at  the  chapel  and  hermitage  of  San 
Pedro  at  Arlanza,  where  he  had  first  communed 
with  the  holy  Friar  Pelayo.  When  it  was  com- 
pleted, he  merely  inscribed  upon  it  the  word 
"  Obijt,"  leaving  the  rest  to  be  supplied  by  others 
after  his  death. 

When  the  Moors  perceived  that  Count  Fernan 
Gonzalez,  once  so  redoubtable  in  arms,  was  old 
and  infirm,  and  given  to  build  tombs  instead  of 
castles,  they  thought  it  a  favorable  time  to  make 
an  inroad  into  Castile.  They  passed  the  border, 


394     CHRONICLE  OF  FERN  AN  GONZALEZ. 

therefore,  in  great  numbers,  laying  everything 
waste  and  bearding  the  old  lion  in  his  very  den. 

The  veteran  had  laid  by  sword  and  buckler, 
and  had  almost  given  up  the  world ;  but  the  sound 
of  Moorish  drum  and  trumpet  called  him  back 
even  from  the  threshold  of  the  sepulchre.  Buck- 
ling on  once  more  his  armor  and  bestriding  his, 
war-steed,  he  summoned  around  him  his  Castiliau 
cavaliers,  seasoned  like  him  in  a  thousand  battles, 
and  accompanied  by  his  son  Garcia  Fernandez, 
who  inherited  all  the  valor  of  his  father,  issued 
forth  to  meet  the  foe ;  followed  by  the  shouts  and 
blessings  of  the  populace,  who  joyed  to  see  him 
once  more  in  arms  and  glowing  with  his  ancient 
fire. 

The  Moors  were  retiring  from  an  extensive  rav- 
age, laden  with  booty  and  driving  before  them  an 
immense  cavalgada,  when  they  descried  a  squadron 
of  cavaliers,  armed  all  in  steel,  emerging  from  a 
great  cloud  of  dust,  and  bearing  aloft  the  silver 
cross,  the  well-known  standard  of  Count  Fernan 
Gonzalez.  That  veteran  warrior  came  on,  as  us- 
ual, leading  the  way,  sword  in  hand.  The  very 
sight  of  his  standard  had  struck  dismay  into  the 
enemy;  they  soon  gave  way  before  one  of  his 
vigorous  charges,  nor  did  he  cease  to  pursue  them 
until  they  took  shelter  within  the  very  walls  of 
Cordova.  Here  he  wasted  the  surrounding  coun- 
try with  fire  and  sword,  and  after  thus  braving  the 
Moor  in  his  very  capital,  returned  triumphant  to 
Burgos. 

"  Such,"  says  Fray  Antonio  Agapida,  "  was  the 
last  campaign  in  this  life  of  this  most  valorous 


CHRONICLE   OF  FERN  AN  GONZALEZ.     395 

cavalier ; "  and  now,  abandoning  all  further  deeds 
of  mortal  enterprise  in  arms  to  his  son  Garcia 
Fernandez,  he  addressed  all  his  thoughts,  as  he 
said,  to  prepare  for  his  campaign  in  the  skies. 
He  still  talked  as  a  veteran  warrior,  whose  whole 
life  had  been  passed  in  arms,  but  his  talk  was  not 
of  earthly  warfare  nor  of  earthly  kingdoms.  He 
spoke  only  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  and  what 
he  must  do  to  make  a  successful  inroad  and  gaiu 
an  eternal  inheritance  in  that  blessed  country. 

He  was  equally  indefatigable  in  preparing  for 
his  spiritual  as  for  his  mortal  campaign.  Instead, 
however,  of  mailed  warriors  tramping  through  his 
courts,  and  the  shrill  neigh  of  steed  or  clang  of 
trumpet  echoing  among  their  walls,  there  were 
seen  holy  priests  and  barefoot  monks  passing  to 
and  fro,  and  the  halls  resounded  with  the  sacred 
melody  of  litany  and  psalm.  So  pleased  was 
Heaven  with  the  good  works  of  this  pious  cava- 
lier, and  especially  with  rich  donations  to  churches 
and  monasteries  which  he  made  under  the  guid- 
ance of  his  spiritual  counselors,  that  we  are  told 
it  was  given  to  him  to  foresee  in  vision  the  day 
and  hour  when  he  should  pass  from  this  weary 
life  and  enter  the  mansions  of  eternal  rest. 

Knowing  that  the  time  approached,  he  prepared 
for  his  end  like  a  good  Christian.  He  wrote  to 
the  kings  of  Leon  and  Navarre  in  terms  of  great 
humility,  craving  their  pardon  for  all  past  injuries 
and  offenses,  and  entreating  them,  for  the  good  of 
Christendom,  to  live  in  peace  and  amity,  and  make 
common  cause  for  the  defense  of  the  faith. 

Ten  days  before  the  time  which  Heaven  had 


396     CHRONICLE  OF  FERN  AN  GONZALEZ. 

appointed  for  his  death  he  sent  for  the  abbot  of 
the  chapel  and  convent  of  Arlanza,  and  bending 
his  aged  knees  before  him,  confessed  all  his  sins. 
This  done,  as  in  former  times  he  had  shown  great 
Btate  and  ceremony  in  his  worldly  pageants,  so 
now  he  arranged  his  last  cavalgada  to  the  grave, 
lie  prayed  the  abbot  to  return  to  his  monastery 
and  have  his  sepulchre  prepared  for  his  reception, 
and  that  the  abbots  of  St.  Sebastian  and  Silos  and 
Quirce,  with  a  train  of  holy  friars,  might  come  at 
the  appointed  day  for  his  body ;  that  thus,  as  he 
commended  his  soul  to  Heaven  through  the  hands 
of  his  confessor,  he  might,  through  the  hands  of 
these  pious  men,  resign  his  body  to  the  earth. 

When  the  abbot  had  departed,  the  count  de- 
sired to  be  left  alone;  and  clothing  himself  in 
a  coarse  friar's  garb,  he  remained  in  fervent  prayer 
for  the  forgiveness  of  his  sins.  As  he  had  been  a 
valiant  captain  all  his  life  against  the  enemies  of  the 
faith,  so  was  he  in  death  against  the  enemies  of  the 
soul.  He  died  in  the  full  command  of  all  his  facul- 
ties, making  no  groans  nor  contortions,  but  ren- 
dering up  his  spirit  with  the  calmness  of  a  heroic 
cavalier. 

We  are  told  that .  when  he  died  voices  were 
heard  from  heaven  in  testimony  of  his  sanctity 
while  the  tears  and  lamentations  of  all  Spain 
proved  how  much  he  was  valued  and  beloved  on 
earth.  His  remains  were  conveyed,  according  to 
his  request,  to  the  monastery  of  St.  Pedro  de  Ar- 
lanza by  a  procession  of  holy  friars  with  solemn 
chant  and  dirge.  In  the  church  of  that  convent 
they  still  repose;  and  two  paintings  are  to  be 


CHRONICLE  OF  FERN  AN   GONZALEZ.    397 

Been  in  the  convent,  —  one  representing  the  sount 
valiantly  fighting  with  the  Moors,  the  other  con- 
versing with  St.  Pelayo  and  St.  Millan,  as  they 
appeared  to  him  in  vision  before  the  battle  of 
Hazinas. 

The  cross  which  he  used  as  his  standard  is 
still  treasured  up  in  the  sacristy  of  the  convent, 
It  is  of  massive  silver,  two  ells  in  length,  with 
our  Saviour  sculptured  upon  it,  and  above  the 
head,  in  Gothic  letters,  I.  N.  R.  I.  Below  is 
Adam  awaking  from  the  grave,  with  the  words  of 
St.  Paul,  "  Awake,  thou  who  sleepest,  and  arise 
from  the  tomb,  for  Christ  shall  give  thee  life." 

This  holy  cross  still  has  the  form  at  the  lower 
end  by  which  the  standard-bearer  rested  it  in  the 
pommel  of  his  saddle. 

"  Inestimable,'*  adds  Fray  Antonio  Agapida, 
"  are  the  relics  and  remains  of  saints  and  sainted 
warriors."  In  after  times,  when  Fernando  the 
Third,  surnamed  the  Saint,  went  to  the  conquest 
of  Seville,  he  took  with  him  a  bone  of  this 
thrice -blessed  and  utterly  renowned  cavalier,  to- 
gether with  his  sword  and  pennon,  hoping  through 
their  efficacy  to  succeed  in  his  enterprise,  —  nor 
was  he  disappointed  ;  but  what  is  marvelous  to 
hear,  but  which  we  have  on  the  authority  of  the 
good  Bishop  Sandoval,  on  the  day  on  which  King 
Fernando  the  Saint  entered  Seville  in  triumph, 
great  blows  were  heard  to  resound  within  the 
sepulchre  of  the  count  at  Arlanza,  as  if  veritably 
his  bones  which  remained  behind  exulted  in  the 
victory  gained  by  those  which  had  been  carried  to 
the  wars.  Thus  were  marvelously  fulfilled  the 


398     CHRONICLE   OF  FERN  AN  GONZALEZ. 

words  of   the    holy  psalm,  — "  Exaltabant    ossa 
humilitata."  l 

Here  ends  the  chronicle  of  the  most  valorous 
and  renowned  Don  Fernan  Gonzalez,  Count  of 
Castile.  Laus  Deo. 

i  Sandoval,  p.  334. 


CHRONICLE  OF  FERNANDO  THE 
SAINT. 


CHRONICLE  OF  FERNANDO  THE   SAINT, 


CHAPTER   I. 

The  Parentage  of  Fernando.  —  Queen  Berenguela.  —  The 
Laras.  —  Don  Alvar  conceals  the  Death  of  King  Henry.  — 
Mission  of  Queen  Berenguela  to  Alfonso  IX.  —  She  re- 
nounces the  Crown  of  Castile  in  favor  of  her  son  Fernando. 


III.,  surnamed  the  Saint, 
was  the  son  of  Alfonso  III.  King  of 
Leon,  and  of  Berenguela,  a  princess  of 
Castile  ;  but  there  were  some  particulars  concern- 
ing his  parentage  which  it  is  necessary  clearly  to 
state  before  entering  upon  his  personal  history. 

Alfonso  III.  of  Leon,  and  Alfonso  IX.  King 
of  Castile,  were  cousins,  but  there  were  dissen- 
sions between  them.  The  King  of  Leon,  to 
strengthen  himself,  married  his  cousin,  the  Prin- 
cess Theresa,  daughter  of  his  uncle,  the  King  or 
Portugal.  By  her  he  had  two  daughters.  The 
marriage  was  annulled  by  Pope  Celestine  III.  on 
account  of  their  consanguinity,  and,  on  their  mak- 
ing resistance,  they  were  excommunicated  and  the 
kingdom  laid  under  an  interdict.  This  produced 
an  unwilling  separation  in  1195.  Alfonso  III. 
did  not  long  remain  single.  Fresh  dissensions 
26 


402     CHRONICLE   OF  FERNANDO   THE  SAINT. 

having  broken  out  between  him  and  his  cousia 
Alfonso  IX.  of  Castile,  they  were  amicably  ad- 
justed by  his  marrying  the  Princess  Berenguela, 
daughter  of  that  monarch.  This  second  mar- 
riage, which  took  place  about  three  years  after 
the  divorce,  came  likewise  under  the  ban  of  the 
Church,  and  for  the  same  reason,  the  near  pro- 
pinquity of  the  parties.  Again  the  commands  of 
the  Pope  were  resisted,  and  again  the  refractory 
parties  were  excommunicated  and  the  kingdom 
laid  under  an  interdict. 

The  unfortunate  king  of  Leon  was  the  more 
unwilling  to  give  up  the  present  marriage,  as  the 
Queen  Berenguela  had  made  him  the  happy 
father  of  several  children,  one  of  whom  he  hoped 
might  one  day  inherit  the  two  crowns  of  Leon 
arid  Castile. 

The  intercession  and  entreaties  of  the  bishops 
of  Castile  so  far  mollified  the  rigor  of  the  Pope, 
that  a  compromise  was  made  ;  the  legitimacy  of 
the  children  by  the  present  marriage  was  not  to 
be  affected  by  the  divorce  of  the  parents,  and 
Fernando,  the  eldest,  the  subject  of  the  present 
chronicle,  was  recognized  as  successor  to  his 
father  to  the  throne  of  Leon.  The  divorced 
Queen  Berenguela  left  Fernando  in  Leon,  and 
leturned  in  1204  to  Castile,  to  the  court  of  her 
father,  Alfonso  III.  Here  she  remained  until  the 
death  of  her  father  in  1214,  who  was  succeeded  by 
his  son,  Enrique,  or  Henry  I.  The  latter  being 
only  in  his  eleventh  year,  his  sister,  the  ex- Queen 
Berenguela,  was  declared  regent.  She  well  mer- 
ited the  trust,  for  she  was  a  woman  of  great  pru- 


CHRONICLE  OF  FERNANDO   THE  SAINT.    403 

dence  and  wisdom,  and  a  resolute  and  magnani- 
mous spirit. 

At  this  time  the  house  of  Lara  had  risen  to 
great  power.  There  were  three  brothers  of  that 
turbulent  and  haughty  race,  Don  Alvar  Nunez, 
Don  Fernan  Nunez,  and  Don  Gonzalo  Nunez. 
The  Laras  had  caused  great  trouble  in  the  king- 
dom during  the  minority  of  Prince  Henry's 
father,  by  arrogating  to  themselves  the  regency  ; 
and  they  now  attempted,  in  like  manner,  to  get 
the  guardianship  of  the  son,  declaring  it  an  office 
too  important  and  difficult  to  be  intrusted  to  a 
woman.  Having  a  powerful  and  unprincipled 
party  among  the  nobles,  and  using  great  bribery 
among  persons  in  whom  Berenguela  confided, 
they  carried  their  point ;  and  the  virtuous  Ber- 
enguela, to  prevent  civil  commotions,  resigned  the 
regency  into  the  hands  of  Don  Alvar  Nunez  de 
Lara,  the  head  of  that  ambitious  house.  First, 
however,  she  made  him  kneel  and  swear  that  he 
would  conduct  himself  toward  the  youthful  king, 
Enrique,  as  a  thorough  friend  and  a  loyal  vassal, 
guarding  his  person  from  all  harm ;  that  he  would 
respect  the  property  of  individuals,  and  undertake 
nothing  of  importance  without  the  counsel  and 
consent  of  Queen  Berenguela.  Furthermore, 
that  he  would  guard  and  respect  the  hereditary 
possessions  of  Queen  Berenguela,  left  to  her  by 
her  father,  and  would  always  serve  her  as  his 
sovereign,  the  daughter  of  his  deceased  king. 
All  this  Don  Alvar  Nunez  solemnly  swore  upon 
the  sacred  evangelists  and  the  holy  cross. 

No  sooner,  however,  had   he   got  the   young 


404     CHRONICLE  OF  FERNANDO  THE  SAINT. 

king  in  his  power,  than  he  showed  the  ambition, 
rapacity,  and  arrogance  of  his  nature.  He  pre- 
vailed upon  the  young  king  to  make  him  a  count ; 
he  induced  him  to  hold  cortes  without  the  pres- 
ence of  Queen  Berenguela ;  issuing  edicts  in  tho 
king's  name,  he  banished  refractory  nobles,  giv- 
ing their  offices  and  lands  to  his  brothers ;  he 
levied  exactiocs  on  rich  and  poor,  and,  what  is 
still  more  flagrant,  he  extended  these  exactions 
to  the  Church.  In  vain  did  Queen  Berenguela 
remonstrate;  in  vain  did  the  Dean  of  Toledo 
thunder  forth  an  excommunication ;  he  scoffed 
at  them  both,  for  in  the  king's  name  he  persuaded 
himself  he  had  a  tower  of  strength.  He  even 
sent  a  letter  to  Queen  Berenguela  in  the  name 
of  the  young  king,  demanding  of  her  the  castles, 
towns,  and  ports  which  had  been  left  to  her  by 
her  father.  The  queen  was  deeply  grieved  at 
this  letter,  and  sent  a  reply  to  the  king  that, 
when  she  saw  him  face  to  face,  she  would  do 
with  those  possessions  whatever  he  should  com- 
mand, as  her  brother  and  sovereign. 

On  receiving  this  message,  the  young  king 
was  shocked  and  distressed  that  such  a  demand 
should  have  been  made  in  his  name ;  but  he  was 
young  and  inexperienced,  and  could  not  openly 
contend  with  a  man  of  Don  Alvar's  overbearing 
character.  He  wrote  secretly  to  the  queen, 
however,  assuring  her  that  the  demand  had  been 
made  without  his  knowledge,  and  saying  how 
gladly  he  would  come  to  her  if  he  could,  and  be 
relieved  from  the  thraldom  of  Don  Alvar. 

In   this  way  the  miibrtutmle   prince  was   made 


CHRONICLE  OF  FERNANDO   THE  SAINT.    405 

an  instrument  in  the  hands  of  this  haughty  and 
arrogant  nobleman  of  inflicting  all  kinds  of 
wrongs  and  injuries  upon  his  subjects.  Don 
Alvar  constantly  kept  him  with  him,  carrying 
him  from  place  to  place  of  his  dominions,  wher- 
ever his  presence  was  necessary  to  effect  some 
new  measure  of  tyranny.  He  even  endeavored 
to  negotiate  a  marriage  between  the  young  king 
and  some  neighboring  princess,  in  order  to  retain 
an  influence  over  him,  but  in  this  he  was  unsuc- 
cessful. 

For  three  years  had  he  maintained  this  iniqui- 
tous sway,  until  one  day  in  1217,  when  the 
young  king  was  with  him  at  Palencia,  and  was 
playing  with  some  youthful  companions  in  the 
court-yard  of  the  episcopal  palace,  a  tile,  either 
falling  from  the  roof  of  a  tower,  or  sportively 
thrown  by  one  of  his  companions,  struck  him  in 
the  head,  and  inflicted  a  wound  of  which  he 
presently  died. 

This  was  a  fatal  blow  to  the  power  of  Don 
Alvar.  To  secure  himself  from  any  sudden  re- 
vulsion in  the  popular  mind,  he  determined  to 
conceal  the  death  of  the  king  as  long  as  possible, 
and  gave  out  that  he  had  retired  to  the  fortress 
of  Tariego,  whither  he  had  the  body  conveyed, 
as  if  still  living.  He  continued  to  issue  dis- 
patches from  time  to  time  in  the  name  of  the 
king,  and  made  various  excuses  for  his  non- 
appearance  in  public. 

Queen  Berenguela  soon  learned  the  truth. 
According  to  the  laws  of  Castile  she  was  heiress 
to  the  crown,  but  she  resolved  to  transfer  it  to 


406     CHRONICLE   OF  FERNANDO  THE  SAINT. 

her  son  Fernando,  who,  being  likewise  acknowl- 
edged successor  to  the  crown  of  Leon,  would 
unite  the  two  kingdoms  under  his  rule.  To 
effect  her  purpose  she  availed  herself  of  the 
cunning  of  her  enemy,  kept  secret  her  knowl- 
edge of  the  death  of  her  brother,  and  sent  two 
of  her  confidential  cavaliers,  Don  Lope  Diaz  de 
Haro,  Senor  of  Biscay,  and  Don  Gonzalo  Ruiz 
Giron,  and  Don  Alonzo  Tellez  de  Meneses,  to 
her  late  husband,  Alfonso  IX.,  King  of  Leon, 
who,  with  her  son  Fernando,  was  then  at  Toro, 
entreating  him  to  send  the  latter  to  her  to  pro- 
tect her  from  the  tyranny  of  Don  Alvar.  The 
prudent  mother,  however,  forbore  to  let  King 
Alfonso  know  of  her  brother's  death,  lest  it 
might  awaken  in  him  ambitious  thoughts  about 
the  Castilian  crown. 

This  mission  being  sent,  she  departed  with  the 
cavaliers  of  her  party  for  Palencia.  The  death 
of  the  King  Enrique  being  noised  about,  she  was 
honored  as  Queen  of  Castile,  and  Don  Tello, 
the  bishop,  came  forth  in  procession  to  receive 
her.  The  next  day  she  proceeded  to  the  castle 
of  Duenas,  and,  on  its  making  some  show  of 
resistance,  took  it  by  force. 

The  cavaliers  who  were  with  the  queen  en- 
deavored to  effect  a  reconciliation  between  her 
and  Don  Alvar,  seeing  that  the  latter  had  power- 
ful connections,  and  through  his  partisans  and 
retainers  held  possession  of  the  principal  towns 
and  fortresses  ;  that  haughty  nobleman,  however, 
would  listen  to  no  proposals  unless  the  Prince 
Fernando  was  given  into  his  guardianship,  as  had 
been  the  Prince  Enrique. 


CHRONICLE  OF  FERNANDO   THE  SAINT.    407 

In  the  mean  time  the  request  of  Queen  Beren- 
guela  had  been  granted  by  her  late  husband,  the 
King  of  Leon,  and  her  son  Fernando  hastened 
to  meet  her.  The  meeting  took  place  at  the 
castle  of  Otiella,  and  happy  was  the  anxious 
mother  once  more  to  embrace  her  son.  At  her 
command  the  cavaliers  in  her  train  elevated  him 
on  the  trunk  of  an  elm-tree  for  a  throne,  and 
hailed  him  king  with  great  acclamations. 

They  now  proceeded  to  Valladolid,  which  at 
that  time  was  a  great  and  wealthy  town.  Here 
the  nobility  and  chivalry  of  Estremadura  and 
other  parts  hastened  to  pay  homage  to  the  queen. 
A  stage  was  erected  in  the  market-place,  where 
the  assembled  states  acknowledged  her  for  queen 
and  swore  fealty  to  her.  She  immediately,  in 
presence  of  her  nobles,  prelates,  and  people,  re- 
nounced the  crown  in  favor  of  her  son.  The  air 
rang  with  the  shouts  of  "  Long  live  Fernando, 
King  of  Castile  !  "  The  bishops  and  clergy  then 
conducted  the  king  in  state  to  the  church.  This 
was  on  the  31st  of  August,  1217,  and  about  three 
months  from  the  death  of  King  Enrique. 

Fernando  was  at  this  time  about  eighteen 
years  of  age,  an  accomplished  cavalier,  having 
been  instructed  in  everything  befitting  a  prince 
and  a  warrior 


CHAPTER   II. 

King  Alfonso  of  Leon  ravages  Castile.  —  Captivity  of  Don 
Alvar.  —  Death  of  the  Laras. 

IING  ALFONSO  of  Leon  was  exceed- 
ingly exasperated  at  the  furtive  manner 
in  which  his  son  Fernando  had  left  him, 
without  informing  him  of  King  Henry's  death. 
He  considered,  and  perhaps  with  reason,  the 
transfer  of  the  crown  of  Castile  by  Berenguela 
to  her  son,  as  a  manoeuvre  to  evade  any  rights 
or  claims  which  he,  King  Alfonso,  might  have 
over  her,  notwithstanding  their  divorce ;  and  he 
believed  that  both  mother  and  son  had  conspired 
to  deceive  and  outwit  him  ;  and,  what  was  espe- 
cially provoking,  they  had  succeeded.  It  was 
natural  for  King  Alfonso  to  have  become  by  this 
time  exceedingly  irritable  and  sensitive  ;  he  had 
been  repeatedly  thwarted  in  his  dearest  concerns ; 
excommunicated  out  of  two  wives  by  the  Pope, 
and  now,  as  he  conceived,  cajoled  out  of  a  king- 
dom. 

In  his  wrath  he  flew  to  arms,  —  a  prompt  and 
customary  recourse  of  kings  in  those  days  when 
they  had  no  will  to  consult  but  their  own ;  and 
notwithstanding  the  earnest  expostulations  and 


CHRONICLE  OF  FERNANDO   THE  SAINT.    409 

entreaties  of  holy  men,  he  entered  Castile  with 
an  army,  ravaging  the  legitimate  inheritance  of 
his  son,  as  if  it  had  been  the  territory  of  an 
enemy.  He  was  seconded  in  his  outrages  by 
Count  Alvar  Nunez  de  Lara  and  his  two  belli- 
cose brothers,  who  hoped  still  to  retain  power  by 
rallying  under  his  standard. 

There  were  at  this  time  full  two  thousand 
cavaliers  with  the  youthful  king,  resolute  men, 
well  armed  and  well  appointed,  and  they  urged 
him  to  lead  them  against  the  King  of  Leon. 
Queen  Berenguela,  however,  interposed  and  de- 
clared her  son  should  never  be  guilty  of  the  im- 
piety of  taking  up  arms  against  his  father.  By 
her  advice  King  Fernando  sent  an  embassy  to 
his  father,  expostulating  with  him,  and  telling 
him  that  he  ought  to  be  thankful  to  God  that 
Castile  was  in  the  hands  of  a  son  disposed  at  all 
times  to  honor  and  defend  him,  instead  of  a 
stranger  who  might  prove  a  dangerous  foe. 

King  Alfonso,  however,  Was  not  so  to  be  ap- 
peased. By  the  ambassadors  he  sent  proposals 
to  Queen  Berenguela  that  they  reenter  into  wed- 
lock, for  which  he  would  procure  a  dispensation 
from  the  Pope ;  they  would  then  be  jointly 
sovereigns  of  both  Castile  and  Leon,  and  the 
Prince  Fernando,  their  son,  should  inherit  both 
crowns.  But  the  virtuous  Berenguela  recoiled 
from  this  proposal  of  a  second  nuptials.  "  God 
forbid,"  replied  she,  "  that  I  should  return  to  a 
sinful  marriage ;  and  as  to  the  crown  of  Castile, 
it  now  belongs  to  my  son,  to  whom  I  have  given 
it  with  the  sanction  of  God  and  the  good  men 
of  this  realm." 


410     CHRONICLE   OF  FERNANDO  THE  SAINT. 

King  Alfonso  was  more  enraged  than  ever  by 
this  reply,  and,  being  incited  and  aided  by  Count 
Alvar  and  his  faction,  he  resumed  his  ravages, 
laying  waste  the  country  and  burning  the  vil- 
lages. He  would  have  attacked  Duenas,  but 
found  that  place  strongly  garrisoned  by  Diego 
Lopez  de  Haro  and  Ruy  Diaz  de  los  Cameros  ; 
he  next  marched  upon  Burgos,  but  that  place 
was  equally  well  garrisoned  by  Lope  Diez  de 
Faro  and  other  stout  Castilian  cavaliers ;  so  per- 
ceiving his  son  to  be  more  firmly  seated  upon  the 
throne  than  he  had  imagined,  and  that  all  his 
own  menaces  and  ravages  were  unavailing,  he 
returned  deeply  chagrined  to  his  kingdom. 

King  Fernando,  in  obedience  to  the  dictates 
of  his  mother  as  well  as  of  his  own  heart,  ab- 
stained from  any  acts  of  retaliation  on  his  father ; 
but  he  turned  his  arms  against  Munon  and 
Lerma  and  Lara,  and  other  places  which  either 
belonged  to,  or  held  out  for,  Count  Alvar,  and, 
having  subdued  them,  proceeded  to  Burgos,  the 
capital  of  his  kingdom,  where  he  was  received 
by  the  bishop  and  clergy  with  great  solemnity, 
and  whither  the  nobles  and  chivalry  from  all 
parts  of  Castile  hastened  to  rally  round  his 
throne.  The  turbulent  Count  Alvar  Nunez  de 
Lara  and  his  brothers  retaining  other  fortresses 
too  strong  to  be  easily  taken,  refused  all  alle- 
giance, and  made  ravaging  excursions  over  the 
country.  The  prudent  and  provident  Beren- 
guela,  therefore,  while  at  Burgos,  seeing  that  the 
troubles  and  contentions  of  the  kingdom  would 
cause  great  expense  and  prevent  much  revenue, 


CHRONICLE  OF  FERNANDO  THE  SAINT.    411 

gathered  together  all  her  jewels  of  gold  and  sil- 
ver and  precious  stones,  and  all  her  plate  arid 
rich  silks,  and  other  precious  things,  and  caused 
them  to  be  sold,  and  gave  the  money  to  her  son 
to  defray  the  cost  of  these  civil  wars. 

King  Fernando  and  his  mother  departed  shortly 
afterwards  for  Palencia  ;  on  their  way  they  had 
to  pass  by  Herrera,  which  at  that  time  was  the 
stronghold  of  Count  Alvar.  When  the  king  came 
in  sight,  Count  Fernan  Nunez,  with  his  battalions, 
was  on  the  banks  of  the  river,  but  drew  within 
the  walls.  As  the  king  had  to  pass  close  by  with 
his  retinue,  he  ordered  his  troops  to  be  put  in  good 
order  and  gave  it  in  charge  to  Alonzo  Tellez  and 
Suer  Tellez  and  Alvar  Ruyz  to  protect  the  flanks. 

As  the  royal  troops  drew  near,  Count  Alvar, 
leaving  his  people  in  the  town,  sallied  forth  with 
a  few  cavaliers  to  regard  the  army  as  it  passed. 
Affecting  great  contempt  for  the  youthful  king 
and  l-.i'!  cavaliers,  he  stood  drawn  up  on  a  rising 
ground  with  his  attendants,  looking  down  upon 
the  troops  with  scornful  aspect,  and  rejecting  all 
advice  to  retire  into  the  town. 

As  the  king  and  his  immediate  escort  came 
nigh,  their  attention  was  attracted  to  this  little 
body  of  proud  warriors  drawn  up  upon  a  bank  and 
regarding  them  so  loftily  ;  and  Alonzo  Tellez  and 
Suer  Tellez  looking  more  closely,  recognized  Don 
Alvar,  and  putting  spurs  to  their  horses,  dashed  up 
the  bank,  followed  by  several  cavaliers.  Don  Alvar 
repented  of  his  vain  confidence  too  late,  and  seeing 
great  numbers  urging  toward  him,  turned  his 
reins  and  retreated  toward  the  town.  Still  hia 


412     CHRONICLE  OF  FERNANDO   THE  SAINT. 

stomach  was  too  high  for  absolute  flight,  and  the 
others,  who  spurred  after  him  at  full  speed,  over- 
took him.  Throwing  himself  from  his  horse,  he 
covered  himself  with  his  shield  and  prepared  for 
defense.  Alonzo  Tellez,  however,  called  to  his 
men  not  to  kill  the  count,  but  to  take  him  prisoner. 
He  was  accordingly  captured,  with  several  of  his 
followers,  and  borne  off  to  the  king  and  queen. 
The  count  had  everything  to  apprehend  from  their 
vengeance  for  his  misdeeds.  They  used  no 
personal  harshness,  however,  but  demanded  from 
him  that  he  should  surrender  all  the  castles  and 
strong  places  held  by  the  retainers  and  partisans 
of  his  brothers  and  himself,  that  he  should  furnish 
on.e  hundred  horsemen  to  aid  in  their  recovery, 
and  should  remain  a  prisoner  until  those  places 
were  all  in  the  possession  of  the  crown. 

Captivity  broke  the  haughty  spirit  of  Don 
Alvar.  He  agreed  to  those  conditions,  and  until 
they  should  be  fulfilled  was  consigned  to  the 
charge  of  Gonsalvo  Ruyz  Giron,  and  confined  in 
the  castle  of  Valladolid.  The  places  were  de- 
livered up  in  the  course  of  a  few  months,  and 
thus  King  Fernando  became  strongly  possessed  of 
his  kingdom. 

Stripped  of  power,  state,  and  possessions,  Count 
Alvar  and  his  brothers,  after  an  ineffectual  attempt 
to  rouse  the  King  of  Leon  to  another  campaign 
against  his  son,  became  savage  and  desperate,  and 
made  predatory  excursions,  pillaging  the  country, 
until  Count  Alvar  fell  mortally  ill  of  hydropsy. 
Struck  with  remorse  and  melancholy,  he  repaired 
to  Toro  and  entered  the  chivalrous  order  of 


CURUNICLE  OF  FERNANDO   THE  8A1NT.    413 

Santiago,  that  he  might  gain  the  indulgences 
granted  by  the  Pope  to  those  who  die  in  that 
order,  and  hopii.g,  says  an  ancient  chronicler,  to 
oblige  God,  as  it  were,  by  that  religious  ceremony, 
to  pardon  his  sins.1  His  illness  endured  seven 
months,  and  he  was  reduced  to  such  poverty  that 
at  his  death  there  was  not  money  enough  left  by 
him  to  convey  his  body  to  Ucles,  where  he  had 
requested  to  be  buried,  nor  to  pay  for  tapers  for 
his  funeral.  When  Queen  Berenguela  heard  thisj 
she  ordered  that  the  funeral  should  be  honorably 
performed  at  her  own  expense,  and  sent  a  cloth 
of  gold  to  cover  the  bier.2 

The  brother  of  Count  Alvar,  Don  Fernando 
abandoned  his  country  in  despair  and  went  to 
Marocco,  where  he  was  well  received  by  the  mi- 
ramamolin.  and  had  lands  and  revenues  assigned 
to  him.  He  became  a  great  favorite  among  the 
Moors,  to  whom  he  used  to  recount  his  deeds  in 
the  civil  wars  of  Castile.  At  length  he  fell 
dangerously  ill,  and  caused  himself  to  be  taken 
to  a  suburb  inhabited  by  Christians.  There 
happened  to  be  there  at  that  time  one  Don  Gon- 
salvo,  a  knight  of  the  order  of  the  Hospital  of 
St.  John  de  Acre,  and  who  had  been  in  the  service 
of  Pope  Innocent  III.  Don  Fernando,  finding 
his  end  approaching,  entreated  of  the  knight  his 
religious  habit,  that  he  might  die  in  it.  His  re- 
quest was  granted,  and  thus  Count  Fernando  died 
in  the  habit  of  a  Knight  Hospitaliere  of  St.  John 
de  Acre,  in  Elbora,  a  suburb  of  Marocco.  His 

1  Cronica  Gotica,  por  Don  Alonzo  Nufiez  de  Castro,  p.  17. 
8  Cronica  General  de  Esptiia,  pt.  3,  p.  370. 


414     CHRONICLE  OF  FERNANDO   THE  SAINT 

body  was  afterwards  brought  to  Spain,  and  in- 
terred in  a  town  on  the  banks  of  the  Pisuerga,  iu 
which  repose  likewise  the  remains  of  his  wife  and 
children. 

The  Count  Gonsalvo  Nunez  de  Lara,  the  third 
of  these  brothers,  also  took  refuge  amon<r  the 
Moors.  He  was  seized  with  violent  disease  in. 
the  city  of  Baeza,  where  he  died.  His  body  was 
conveyed  to  Campos  a  Zalmos,  which  appertained 
to  the  Friars  of  the  Temple,  where  the  holy 
fraternity  gave  it  the  rites  of  sepulture  with  all 
due  honor.  Snch  was  the  end  of  these  three 
brothers  of  the  once  proud  and  powerful  house 
of  Lara,  whose  disloyal  deeds  had  harassed  their 
country  and  brought  ruin  upon  themselves. 


CHAPTER  III. 

Marriage  of  King  Fernando.  —  Campaign  against  the  Moors. 
—  Aben  Mohamed,  King  of  Baeza,  declares  himself  the 
Vassal  of  King  Fernando.  —  They  march  to  Jaen.  —  Burn- 
ing of  the  Tower.  —  Fernando  commences  the  Building  of 
the  Cathedral  at  Toledo. 

(ING  FERNANDO,  aided  by  the  sage 
counsels  of  his  mother,  reigned  for  some 
time  in  peace  and  quietness,  administer- 
ing his  affairs  with  equity  and  justice.  The 
good  Queen  Berenguela  now  began  to  cast  about 
her  eyes  in  search  of  a  suitable  alliance  for  her 
son,  and  had  many  consultations  with  the  Bishop 
Maurice  of  Burgos,  and  other  ghostly  counselors, 
thereupon.  They  at  length  agreed  upon  the 
Princess  Beatrix,  daughter  of  the  late  Philip, 
Emperor  of  Germany,  and  the  Bishop  Maurice 
and  Padre  Fray  Pedro  de  Arlanza  were  sent  as 
envoys  to  the  Emperor  Frederick  II.,  cousin  of 
the  princess,  to  negotiate  the  terms.  An  arrange- 
ment was  happily  effected,  and  the  princess  set 
out  for  Spain.  In  passing  through  France  she 
was  courteously  entertained  at  Paris  by  King 
Philip,  who  made  her  rich  presents.  On  the 
borders  of  Castile  she  was  met  at  Vittoria  by  the 
Queen  Berenguela,  with  a  great  train  of  pre- 
lates, monks,  and  masters  of  the  religious  orders, 


416     CHRONICLE  OF  FERNANDO   THE  SAINT. 

and  of  abbesses  and  nuns,  together  with  a  glori- 
ous train  of  chivalry.  In  this  state  she  was  con 
ducted  to  Burgos,  where  the  king  and  all  his 
court  came  forth  to  receive  her,  and  their  nuptials 
were  celebrated  with  great  pomp  and  rejoicing. 

King  Fernando  lived  happily  with  his  fair 
Queen  Beatrix,  and  his  kingdom  remained  in 
peace  ;  but  by  degrees  he  became  impatient  of 
quiet,  and  anxious  to  make  war  upon  the  Moors. 
Perhaps  he  felt  called  upon  to  make  some  signal 
essay  in  arms  at  present,  having,  the  day  before 
his  nuptials,  been  armed  a  knight  in  the  monas- 
tery of  Las  Huelgos,  and  in  those  iron  days 
knighthood  was  not  a  matter  of  mere  parade  and 
ceremony,  but  called  for  acts  of  valor  and  proofs 
of  stern  endurance. 

The  discreet  Berenguela  endeavored  to  dis- 
suade her .  son  from  taking  the  field,  considering 
him  not  of  sufficient  age.  In  all  things  else  he 
was  ever  obedient  to  her  counsels,  and  even  to 
her  inclinations,  but  it  was  in  vain  that  she  endeav- 
ored to  persuade  him  from  making  war  upon  the 
infidels.  "  God,"  would  he  say,  "  had  put  into 
his  hands  not  merely  a  sceptre  to  govern,  but  a 
sword  to  avenge  his  country." 

It  was  fortunate  for  the  good  cause,  moreover, 
add  the  Spanish  chroniclers,  that  while  the  queen- 
mother  was  endeavoring  to  throw  a  damper  on 
the  kindling  fire  of  her  son,  a  worthy  prelate  was 
at  hand  to  stir  it  up  into  a  blaze.  This  was  the 
illustrious  historian  Rodrigo,  Archbishop  of  To- 
ledo, who  now  preached  a  crusade  against  the 
Moors,  promising  like  indulgences  with  those 


CHRONICLE  OF  FERNANDO  THE  SAINT.    417 

grwtited  to  the  warriors  for  the  Holy  Sepulchre. 
The  consequence  was  a  great  assemblage  of 
troops  ironi  all  parts  at  Toledo. 

King  J'ernando  was  prevented  for  a  time  from 
taking  tne  field  in  person,  but  sent  in  advance 
Don  Lope  Diaz  de  Haro  and  Ruy  Gonsalvo  de 
Giron  and  Alonzo  "fellez  de  Meneses,  with  five 
hundred  cavaliers  well  armed  and  mounted.  The 
very  sight  of  ihem  effected  a  conquest  over 
Aben  Mohamed,  the  Moorish  king  of  Baeza,  inso- 
much that  he  sent  an  embassy  to  King  Fernando, 
declaring  himself  his  vassal. 

When  King  Pernando  afterwards  took  the 
field,  he  was  joined  by  this  Moorish  ally  at  the 
Navas  or  plains  of  Tolosa ;  who  was  in  company 
with  him  when  the  king  marched  to  Jaen,  to  the 
foot  of  a  tower,  and  set  fire  to  it,  whereupon 
those  Moors  who  remained  in  the  tower  were 
burned  to  death,  and  those  who  leaped  from  the 
walls  were  received  on  the  points  of  lances. 

Notwithstanding  the  burnt-offering  of  this 
tower,  Heaven  did  not  smile  upon  the  attempt  of 
King  Fernando  to  reduce  the  city  of  Jaen.  He 
was  obliged  to  abandon  the  siege,  but  consoled 
himself  by  laying  waste  the  country.  He  was 
more  successful  elsewhere.  He  carried  the  strong 
town  of  Priego  by  assault,  and  gave  the  garrison 
their  lives  on  condition  of  yielding  up  all  their 
property,  and  paying,  moreover,  eighty  thousand 
maravedis  of  silver.  For  the  payment  of  this 
sum  they  w.ere  obliged  to  give  as  hostages  fifty- 
five  damsels  of  great  beauty,  and  fifty  cavaliers 
of  rank,  besides  nine  hundred  of  the  common 
27 


418     CHRONICLE  OF  FERNANDO  THE  SAINT. 

people.  The  king  divided  bis  hostages  among  his 
bravest  cavaliers  and  •  the  religious  orders ;  but 
his  vassal,  the  Moorish  king  of  Baeza,  obtained 
the  charge  of  the  Moorish  damsels. 

The  king  then  attacked  Loxa,  and  his  men 
sealed  the  walls  and  burnt  the  gates,  and  made 
themselves  masters  of  the  place.  He  then  led 
his  army  into  the  Vega  of  Granada,  the  inhabi- 
tants of  which  submitted  to  become  his  vassals, 
and  gave  up  all  the  Christian  captives  in  that 
city,  amounting  to  thirteen  hundred. 

Aberi  Mohamed,  king  of  Baeza,  then  delivered 
to  King  Fernando  the  towers  of  Martos  and  An- 
dujar,  and  the  king  gave  them  to  Don  Alvar 
Perez  de  Castro,  and  placed  with  him  Don  Gon- 
zalo  Ybauez,  Master  of  Calatrava,  and  Tello 
Alonzo  Meneses,  son  of  Don  Alonzo  Tellez,  and 
other  stout  cavaliers,  fitted  to  maintain  frontier 
posts.  These  arrangements  being  made,  and 
having  ransacked  every  mountain  and  valley, 
and  taken  many  other  places  not  herein  specified, 
King  Fernando  returned  in  triumph  to  Toledo, 
where  he  was  joyfully  received  by  his  mother 
Berenguela  and  his  wife  Beatrix. 

Clerical  historians  do  not  fail  to  record  with 
infinite  satisfaction  a  signal  instance  of  the  devout 
and  zealous  spirit  which  King  Fernando  had  de- 
rived from  his  constant  communion  with  the  rev- 
erend fathers  of  the  Church.  As  the  king  was 
one  day  walking  with  his  ghostly  adviser  the 
archbishop,  in  the  principal  church  of  Toledo, 
which  was  built  in  the  Moresco  fashion,  having 
been  a  mosque  of  the  infidels,  it  occurred,  or 


CHRONICLE  OF  FERNANDO  THE  SAINT.    419 

more  probably  was  suggested  to  him,  that,  since 
God  had  aided  him  to  increase  his  kingdom,  and 
had  given  him  such  victories  over  the  enemies  of 
his  holy  faith,  it  became  him  to  rebuild  his  holy- 
temple,  which  was  ancient  and  falling  to  decay, 
and  to  adorn  it  richly  with  the  spoils  taken  from 
the  Moors.  The  thought  was  promptly  carried 
into  effect.  The  king  and  the  archbishop  laid  the 
first  stone  with  great  solemnity,  and  in  the  fullness 
of  time  accomplished  that  mighty  cathedral  of 
Toledo,  which  remains  the  wonder  and  admiration 
of  after  ages. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

Assassination  of  Aben  Mohamed.  —  His  Head  carried  as  a 
Present  to  Abullale,  the  Moorish  King  of  Seville. — Advance 
of  the  Christians  into  Andalusia —  Abullale  purchases  a 
Truce. 

I  HE  worthy  Fray  Antonio  Agapida  re- 
cords various  other  victories  and  achieve- 
ments of  King  Fernando  in  a  subsequent 
campaign  against  the  Moors  of  Andalusia ;  in  the 
course  of  which  his  camp  was  abundantly  supplied 
with  grain  by  his  vassal  Aben  Mohamed,  the 
Moorish  king  of  Baeza.  The  assistance  rendered 
by  that  Moslem  monarch  to  the  Christian  forces 
in  their  battles  against  those  of  his  own  race  and 
his  own  faith,  did  not  meet  with  the  reward  it 
merited.  "  Doubtless,"  says  Antonio  Agapida, 
"  because  he  halted  half  way  in  the  right  path, 
and  did  not  turn  thorough  renegade."  It  appears 
that  his  friendship  for  the  Christians  gave  great 
disgust  to  his  subjects,  and  some  of  them  rose 
upon  him,  while  he  was  sojourning  in  the  city  of 
Cordova,  and  sought  to  destroy  him.  Aben  Mo- 
hamed fled  by  a  gate  leading  to  the  gardens,  to 
take  shelter  in  the  tower  of  Almodovar ;  but  the 
assassins  overtook  him,  and  slew  him  on  a  hill 
near  the  tower.  They  then  cut  off  his  head  and 
carried  it  as  a  present  to  Abullale,  the  Moorish 


CHRONICLE  OF  FERNANDO   THE  SAINT.    421 

king  of  Seville,  expecting  to  be  munificently  re- 
warded; but  that  monarch  gave  command  that 
their  heads  should  be  struck  off  and  their  bodies 
thrown  to  the  dogs,  as  traitors  to  their  liege  lords.1 

King  Fernando  was  grieved  when  he  heard 
of  the  assassination  of  his  vassal,  and  feared  the 
death  of  Aben  Mohamed  might  lead  to  a  rising 
of  the  Moors.  He  sent  notice  to  Andujar,  to 
Don  Alvar  Perez  de  Castro  and  Alonzo  Tellez 
de  Meneses,  to  be  on  their  guard ;  but  the  Moors, 
fearing  punishment  for  some  rebellious  movements, 
abandoned  the  town,  and  it  fell  into  the  hands  of 
the  king.  The  Moors  of  Martos  did  the  like. 
The  Alcazar  of  Baeza  yielded  also  to  the  king, 
who  placed  in  it  Don  Lope  Diaz  de  Haro  with 
five  hundred  men. 

Abullale,  the  Moorish  sovereign  of  Seville,  was 
alarmed  at  seeing  the  advances  which  the  Chris- 
tians were  making  in  Andalusia ;  and  attempted 
to  wrest  from  their  hands  these  newly  acquired 
places.  He  marched  upon  Martos,  which  was 
not  strongly  walled.  The  Countess  Dona  Yrenia, 
wife  to  Don  Alvar  Perez  de  Castro,  was  in  this 
place,  and  her  husband  was.  absent.  Don  Tello 
Alonzo,  with  a  Spanish  force,  hastened  to  her 
assistance.  Finding  the  town  closely  invested, 
he  formed  his  men  into  a  troop,  and  endeavored 
to  cut  his  way  through  the  enemy.  A  rude  con- 
flict ensued,  the  cavaliers  fought  their  way  for- 
ward, and  Christian  and  Moor  arrived  pell-mell 
at  the  gate  of  the  town.  Here  the  press  was  ex- 
cessive. Feruan  Gomez  de  Pudiello,  a  stout  cav 
1  Cron.  Gen.  de  Espana,  pt.  4,  fol.  373. 


422     CHRONICLE  OF  FERNANDO  THE  SAINT. 

alier,  who  bore  the  pennon  of  Don  Tello  Alonzo, 
was  slain,  and  the  same  fate  would  have  befallen 
Don  Tello  himself,  but  that  a  company  of  esquires 
sallied  from  the  town  to  his  rescue. 

King  Abullale  now  encircled  the  town,  and  got 
possession  of  the  Pena,  or  rock,  which  commands 
it,  killing  two  hundred  Christians  who  defended 
it 

Provisions  began  to  fail  the  besieged,  and  they 
were  reduced  to  slay  their  horses  for  food,  and 
even  to  eat  the  hides.  Don  Gonsalvo  Ybanez, 
master  of  Calatrava,  who  was  in  Baeza,  hearing 
of  the  extremity  of  the  place,  came  suddenly  with 
seventy  men  and  effected  an  entrance.  The  aug- 
mentation of  the  garrison  only  served  to  increase 
the  famine,  without  being  sufficient  in  force  to 
raise  the  siege.  At  length  word  was  brought  to 
Don  Alvar  Perez  de  Castro,  who  was  with  the 
king  at  Guadalaxara,  of  the  imminent  danger  to 
which  his  wife  was  exposed.  He  instantly  set 
off  for  her  relief,  accompanied  by  several  cavaliers 
of  note,  and  a  strong  force.  They  succeeded  in 
getting  into  Martos,  recovered  the  Pena,  or  rock, 
and  made  such  vigorous  defense  that  Abullale 
abandoned  the  siege  in  despair.  In  the  following 
year  King  Fernando  led  his  host  to  take  revenge 
upon  this  Moorish  king  of  Seville ;  but  the  latter 
purchased  a  truce  for  one  year  with  three  hundred 
maravedis  of  silver.1 

I  Cron  Gen.  de  Espana,  pt.  4,  c.  ii. 


CHAPTER  V. 

Aben  Hud.  —  Abullale  purchases  another  Year's  Truce.  — 
Fernando  hears  of  the  Death  of  his  Father,  the  King  of 
Leon,  while  pressing  the  Siege  of  Jaen.  —  He  becomes 
Sovereign  of  the  Two  Kingdoms  of  Leon  and  Castile. 

|  BOUT  this  time  a  valiant  sheik,  named 
Aben  Abdallar  Mohammed  ben  Hud, 
but  commonly  called  Aben  Hud,  was 
effecting  a  great  revolution  in  Moorish  affairs. 
He  was  of  the  lineage  of  Aben  Alfange,  and 
bitterly  opposed  to  the  sect  of  Almohades,  who 
for  a  long  time  had  exercised  a  tyrannical  sway. 
Stirring  up  the  Moors  of  Murcia  to  rise  upon 
their  oppressors,  he  put  himself  at  their  head, 
massacred  all  the  Almohades  that  fell  into  his 
hands,  and  made  himself  sheik  or  king  of  that 
region.  He  purified  the  mosques  with  water, 
after  the  manner  in  which  Christians  purify  their 
churches,  as  though  they  had  been  defiled  by  the 
Almohades.  Aben  Hud  acquired  a  name  among 
those  of  his  religion  for  justice  and  good  faith  as 
well  as  valor ;  and  after  some  opposition,  gained 
sway  over  all  Andalusia.  This  brought  him  in 
collision  with  King  Fernando  .  .  . 

tfUfT  (Something  is  wanting  here.)  l 

1  The   hiatus,  here    noted  by  the    author,  has    evidently 
arisen  from  the  loss  of  a  leaf  of  his  manuscript.     The  printed 


424     CHRONICLE  OF  FERNANDO  THE  SAINT. 

laying  waste  fields  of  grain.  The  Moorish  sove- 
reign of  Seville  purchased  another  year's  truce  of 
him  for  three  hundred  thousand  maravedis  of  sil- 
ver. Aben  Hud,  on  the  other  hand,  collected  a 
great  force  and  marched  to  oppose  him,  but  did 
not  dare  to  give  him  battle.  He  went,  therefore, 
upon  Merida,  and  fought  with  King  Alfonso  of 
Leon,  father  of  King  Fernando,  where,  however, 
he  met  with  complete  discomfiture. 

On  the  following  year  King  Fernando  re- 
peated his  invasion  of  Andalusia,  and  was  press- 
ing the  siege  of  the  city  of  Jaen,  which  he 
assailed  by  means  of  engines  discharging  stones, 
when  a  courier  arrived  in  all  speed  from  his 
mother,  informing  him  that  his  father  Alfonso 
was  dead,  and  urging  him  to  proceed  instantly  to 
Leon,  to  enforce  his  pretensions  to  the  crown. 
King  Fernando  accordingly  raised  the  siege  of 
Jaen,  sending  his  engines  to  Martos,  and  repaired 
to  Castile,  to  consult  with  his  mother,  who  was 
his  counselor  on  all  occasions. 

It  appeared  that  in  his  last  will  King  Alfonso 
had  named  his  two  daughters  joint  heirs  to  the 

line  which  precedes  the  parenthesis  concludes  page  32  of  the 
manuscript;  the  line  which  follows  it  begins  page  34.  The 
intermediate  page  is  wanting.  I  presume  the  author  did  not 
become  conscious  of  his  loss  until  he  had  resorted  to  his  man- 
uscript for  revision,  and  that  he  could  not  depend  upon  his 
memory  to  supply  what  was  wanting  without  a  fresh  resort 
to  authorities  not  at  hand.  Hence  a  postponement  and  ulti- 
mate omission.  The  missing  leaf  would  scarce  have  filled  half 
a  page  of  print,  and,  it  would  seem  from  the  context,  must 
have  related  the  invasion  of  Andalusia  by  Fernando  and  the 
ravages  committed  by  his  armies.  —  ED. 


CHRONICLE   OF  FERNANDO   THE  SAINT.    425 

crown.  Some  of  the  Leonese  and  Gallegos 
were  disposed  to  place  the  Prince  Alonzo, 
brother  to  King  Fernando,  on  the  throne ;  but 
he  had  listened  to  the  commands  of  his  mother, 
and  had  resisted  all  suggestions  of  the  kind ;  the 
larger  part  of  the  kingdom,  including  the  most 
important  cities,  .had  declared  for  Fernando. 

Accompanied  by  his  mother,  King  Fernando 
proceeded  instantly  into  the  kingdom  of  Leon 
with  a  powerful  force.  Wherever  they  went  the 
cities  threw  open  their  gates  to  them.  The 
princesses  Dona  Sancha  and  Dona  Dulce,  with 
their  mother  Theresa,  would  have  assembled  a 
force  to  oppose  them,  but  the  prelates  were  all 
in  favor  of  King  Fernando.  On  his  approach 
to  Leon,  the  bishops  and  clergy  and  all  the  prin- 
cipal inhabitants  came  forth  to  receive  him,  and 
conducted  him  to  the  cathedral,  where  he  re- 
ceived their  homage,  and  was  proclaimed  king, 
with  the  Te  Deums  of  the  choir  and  the  shouts 
of  the  people. 

Dona  Theresa,  who,  with  her  daughters,  was 
in  Galicia,  finding  the  kingdom  thus  disposed  of, 
sent  to  demand  provision  for  herself  and  the  two 
princesses,  who  in  fact  were  step-sisters  of  King 
Fernando.  Queen  Berenguela,  though  she  had 
some  reason  not  to  feel  kindly  disposed  towards 
Dona  Theresa,  who  she  might  think  had  been 
exercising  a  secret  influence  over  her  late  hus- 
band, yet  suppressed  all  such  feelings,  and  under- 
took to  repair  in  person  to  Galicia,  and  negotiate 
Ihfs  singular  family  question.  She  had  an  inter- 
view with  Queen  Theresa  at  Valencia  de  Merlio 


426     CHRONICLE  OF  FERNANDO  THE  SAINT. 

in  Galicia,  and  arranged  a  noble  dower  for  her, 
and  an  annual  revenue  to  each  of  her  daughters 
of  thirty  thousand  maravedis  of  gold.  The  king 
then  had  a  meeting  with  his  sisters  at  Benevente, 
where  they  resigned  all  pretensions  to  the  throne. 
All  the  fortified  places  which  held  for  them  were 
given  up,  and  thus  Fernando  became  undisputed 
sovereign  of  the  two  kingdoms  of  Castile  and 
Leon. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

Expedition  of  the  Prince  Alonzo  against  the  Moors.  —  En- 
camps on  the  Banks  of  the  Guadalete.  —  Aben  Hud  marches 
out  from  Xerez  and  gives  Battle.  — Prowess  of  Garcia  Perez 
de  Vargas.  —  Flight  and  Pursuit  of  the  Moors. — Miracle 
of  the  Blessed  Santiago. 

ING  FERNANDO  III.  having,  through 
the  sage  counsel  and  judicious  manage- 
ment of  his  mother,  made  this  amicable 
arrangement  with  his  step-sisters,  by  which  he 
gained  possession  of  their  inheritance,  now  found 
his  territories  to  extend  from  the  Bay  of  Biscay 
to  the  vicinity  of  the  Guadalquivir,  and  from  the 
borders  of  Portugal  to  those  of  Aragon  and  Va- 
lencia ;  a*nd  in  addition  to  his  titles  of  King  of 
Castile  and  Leon,  called  himself  King  of  Spain 
by  seigniorial  right.  Being  at  peace  with  all  his 
Christian  neighbors,  he  now  prepared  to  carry 
on  with  more  zeal  and  vigor  than  ever  his  holy 
wars  against  the  infidels.  While  making  a  pro- 
gress, however,  through  his  dominions,  adminis- 
tering justice,  he  sent  his  brother,  the  Prince 
Alonzo,  to  make  an  expedition  into  the  country 
of  the  Moors,  and  to  attack  the  newly-risen 
power  of  Aben  Hud. 

As  the  Prince  Alonzo  was  young  and  of  little 
experience,  the  king  sent  Don  Alvar  Perez  de 


428     CHRONICLE  OF  FERNANDO   THE  SAINT. 

Castro,  the  Castilian,  with  him  as  captain,  he 
being  stout  of  heart,  strong  of  hand,  and  skilled 
in  war.  The  prince  and  his  captain  went  from 
Salamanca  to  Toledo,  where  they  recruited  their 
force  with  a  troop  of  cavalry.  Thence  they  pro- 
ceeded to  Andujar,  where  they  sent  out  corre- 
dores,  or  light  foraging  troops,  who  laid  waste 
the  country,  plundering  and  destroying  and  bring- 
ing off  great  booty.  Thence  they  directed  their 
ravaging  course  toward  Cordova,  assaulted  and 
carried  Palma,  and  put  all  its  inhabitants  to  the 
sword.  Following  the  fertile  valley  of  the 
Guadalquivir,  they  scoured  the  vicinity  of  Sev- 
ille, and  continued  onward  for  Xerez,  sweeping 
off  cattle  and  sheep  from  the  pastures  of  Anda- 
lusia ;  driving  on  long  cavalgadas  of  horses  and 
mules  laden  with  spoil ;  until  the  earth  shook 
with  the  tramping  of  their  feet,  and  their  course 
was  marked  by  clouds  of  dust  and  the  smoke  of 
burning  villages. 

In  this  desolating  foray  they  were  joined  by 
two  hundred  horse  and  three  hundred  foot,  Moor- 
ish allies,  or  rather  vassals,  being  led  by  the  son 
of  Aben  Mohamed,  the  king  of  Baeza. 

Arrived  within  sight  of  Xerez,  they  pitched 
their  tents  on  the  banks  of  the  Guadalete  — 
that  fatal  river,  sadly  renowned  in  the  annals  of 
Spain  for  the  overthrow  of  Roderick  and  the  per- 
dition of  the  kingdom. 

Here  a  good  watch  was  set  over  the  captured 
flocks  and  herds  which  covered  the  adjacent 
meadows,  while  the  soldiers,  fatigued  with  ravage, 
gave  themselves  up  to  repose  on  the  banks  of 


CHRDNICLE  OF  FERNANDO   THE  SAINT.    429 

the  river,  or  indulged  in  feasting  and  revelry,  or 
gambled  with  each  other  for  their  booty. 

Iii  the  mean  time  Aben  Hud,  hearing  of  this 
inroad,  summoned  all  his  chivalry  of  the  sea- 
board of  Andalusia  to  meet  him  in  Xerez.  They 
hastened  to  obey  his  call ;  every  leader  spurred 
for  Xerez  with  his  band  of  vassals.  Thither 
came  also  the  king  of  the  Azules,  with  seven 
hundred  horsemen,  Moors  of  Africa,  light,  vigor- 
ous and  active ;  and  the  city  was  full  of  troops. 

The  camp  of  Don  Alonzo  had  a  formidable  ap- 
pearance at  a  distance,  from  the  flocks  and  herds 
which  surrounded  it,  the  vast  number  of  sumpter 
mules,  and  the  numerous  captives  ;  but  when  Aben 
Hud  came  to  reconnoitre  it,  he  found  that  its  ag- 
gregate force  did  not  exceed  three  thousand  five 
hundred  men  —  a  mere  handful  in  comparison  to 
his  army,  and  those  encumbered  with  cattle  and 
booty.  He  anticipated,  therefore,  an  easy  victory. 
He  now  sallied  forth  from  the  city,  and  took  his 
position  in  the  olive-fields  between  the  Christians 
and  the  city ;  while  the  African  horsemen  were 
stationed  on  each  wing,  with  instructions  to  hem 
in  the  Christians  on  either  side,  for  he  was  only 
apprehensive  of  their  escaping,  It  is  even  said 
that  he  ordered  great  quantities  of  cords  to  be 
brought  from  the  city,  and  osier  bands  to  be  made 
by  the  soldiery,  wherewith  to  bind  the  multitude 
of  prisoners  about  to  fall  into  their  hands.  His 
whole  force  he  divided  into  seven  battalions,  each 
containing  from  fifteen  hundred  to  two  thousand 
cavalry.  With  these  he  prepared  to  give  battle. 

When  the  Christians  thus  saw  an  overwhelming 


430     CHRONICLE  OF  FERNANDO  THE  SAINT. 

force  in  front,  cavalry  hovering  on  either  flank, 
and  the  deep  waters  of  the  Guadalete  behind  them, 
they  felt  the  perils  of  their  situation. 

In  this  emergency  Alvar  Perez  de  Castro 
showed  himself  the  able  captain  that  he  had  been 
represented.  Though  apparently  deferring  to  the 
prince  in  council,  he  virtually  took  the  command, 
riding  among  the  troops  lightly  armed,  with  trun- 
cheon in  hand,  encouraging  every  one  by  word 
and  look  and  fearless  demeanor.  To  give  the 
most  formidable  appearance  to  their  little  host,  he 
ordered  that  as  many  as  possible  of  the  foot-sol- 
diers should  mount  upon  the  mules  and  beasts 
of  burden,  and  form  a  troop  to  be  kept  in  re- 
serve. Before  the  battle  he  conferred  the  honor 
of  knighthood  on  Garcia  Perez  de  Vargas,  a 
cavalier  destined  to  gain  renown  for  hardy  deeds 
of  arms. 

When  the  troops  were  all  ready  for  the  field, 
the  prince  extorted  them  as  good  Christians  to 
confess  their  sins  and  obtain  absolution.  There 
was  a  goodly  number  of  priests  and  friars  with 
the  army,  as  there  generally  was  with  all  the 
plundering  expeditious  of  this  holy  war,  but  there 
were  not  enough  to  confess  all  the  army ;  those, 
therefore,  who  could  not  have  a  priest  or  monk 
i>r  the  purpose,  confessed  to  each  other. 

Among  the  cavaliers  were  two  noted  for  their 
valor ;  but  who,  though  brothers-in-law,  lived  in 
mortal  feud.  One  was  Diego  Perez,  vassal  to 
Alvar  Perez  and  brother  to  him  who  had  just 
been  armed  knight ;  the  other  was  Pero  Miguel 
both  natives  of  Toledo.  Diego  Perez  was  the 


CHRONICLE  OF  FERNANDO  THE  SAINT.    431 

one  who  had  given  cause  of  offense.  He  now 
approached  his  adversary  and  asked  his  pardon 
for  that  day  only;  that,  in  a  time  of  such  mortal 
peri)  there  might  not  be  enmity  and  malice  in 
thei  hearts.  The  priests  added  their  exhortations 
to  this  request,  but  Pero  Miguel  sternly  refused 
to  pardon.  When  this  was  told  to  the  prince  and 
Don  Alvar,  they  likewise  entreated  Don  Miguel 
to  pardon  his  brother-in-law.  "  I  will,"  replied 
he,  "  if  he  will  come  to  my  arms  and  embrace  me 
as  a  brother."  But  Diego  Perez  declined  the  fra- 
ternal embrace,  for  he  saw  danger  in  the  eye  of 
Pero  Miguel,  and  he  knew  his  savage  strength 
and  savage  nature,  and  suspected  that  he  meant  to 
strangle  him.  So  Pero  Miguel  went  into  battle 
without  pardoning  his  enemy  who  had  implored 
forgiveness. 

At  this  time,  say  the  old  chroniclers,  the  shouts 
and  yells  of  the  Moorish  army,  the  sound  of  their 
cymbals,  kettle-drums,  and  other  instruments  of 
warlike  music,  were  so  great  that  heaven  and  earth 
seemed  commingled  and  confounded.  In  regard- 
ing the  battle  about  to  overwhelm  him,  Alvar 
Perez  saw  that  the  only  chance  was  to  form  the 
whole  army  into  one  mass,  and  by  a  headlong 
assault  to  jbreak  the  centre  of  the  enemy.  In 
this  emergency  he  sent  word  to  the  prince,  who 
was  in  the  rear  with  the  reserve  and  had  five 
hundred  captives  in  charge,  to  strike  off  the  heads 
of  the  captives  and  join  him  with  the  whole  re- 
serve. This  bloody  order  was  obeyed.  The 
prince  came  to  the  front,  all  formed  together  in 
one  dense  column,  and  then,  with  the  war-cry 


432     CHRONICLE  OF  FERNANDO  THE  SAINT. 

"  Santiago !  Santiago !  Castile  !  Castile  ! "  charged 
upon  the  centre  of  the  enemy.  The  Moors'  line 
was  broken  by  the  shock,  squadron  after  squad- 
ron was  thrown  into  confusion,  Moors  and  Chris- 
tians were  intermingled,  until  the  field  became 
one  scene  of  desperate,  chance-medley  fighting. 
Every  Christian  cavalier  fought  as  if  the  salvation 
of  the  field  depended  upon  his  single  arm.  Gar- 
cia Perez  de  Vargas,  who  had  been  knighted  just 
before  the  battle,  proved  himself  worthy  of  the 
honor.  He  had  three  horses  killed  under  him, 
and  engaged  in  a  desperate  combat  with  the  King 
of  the  Azules,  whom  at  length  he  struck  dead 
from  his  horse.  This  king  had  crossed  from  Af- 
rica on  a  devout  expedition  in  the  cause  of  the 
Prophet  Mahomet.  "  Verily,"  says  Antonio  Aga- 
pida,  "  he  had  his  reward." 

Diego  Perez  was  not  behind  his  brother  in 
prowess ;  and  Heaven  favored  him  in  that  dead- 
ly fight,  notwithstanding  that  he  had  not  been 
pardoned  by  his  enemy.  In  the  heat  of  the  bat- 
tle he  had  broken  both  sword  and  lance ;  where- 
upon, tearing  off  a  great  knotted  limb  from  an 
olive-tree,  he  laid  about  him  with  such  vigor  and 
manhood  that  he  who  got  one  blow  in  the  head 
from  that  war-club  never  needed  another.  Don 
Alvar  Perez,  who  witnessed  his  feats,  was  seized 
with  delight.  At  each  fresh  blow  that  cracked  a 
Moslem  skull  he  would  cry  out.  "  Assi !  Assi ! 
Diego,  Machacha!  Machacha!"  (So!  So!  Di- 
ego, smash  them  !  smash  them  !)  and  from  that 
day  forward  that  strong-handed  cavalier  went  by 
the  name  of  Diego  Machacha,  or  Diego  the 


CHRONICLE   OF  FERNANDO   THE  SAINT.    433 

Smasher,  and  it  remained  the  surname  :>f  several 
of  his  lineage. 

At  length  the  Moors  gave  way  and  fled  for  the 
gates  of  Xerez ;  being  hotly  pursued  .hey  stum- 
bled over  the  bodies  of  the  slain,  and  thus  many 
were  taken  prisoners.  At  the  gates  the  press  was 
so  great  that  they  killed  each  other  in  striving  to 
enter ;  and  the  Christian  sword  made  slaughter 
under  the  walls. 

The  Christians  gathered  spoils  of  the  field,  af- 
ter this  victory,  until  they  were  fatigued  with  col- 
lecting them,  and  the  precious  articles  found  in. 
the  Moorish  tents  were  beyond  calculation.  Their 
camp-fires  were  supplied  with  the  shafts  of  broken 
lances,  and  they  found  ample  use  for  the  cords 
and  osier  bands  which  the  Moors  had  provided 
to  bind  their  expected  captives. 

It  was  a  theme  of  much  marvel  and  solemn 
meditation  that  of  all  the  distinguished  cavaliers 
who  entered  into  this  battle,  not  one  was  lost, 
excepting  the  same  Pero  Miguel  who  refused  to 
pardon  his  adversary.  What  became  of  him  no 
one  could  tell.  The  last  that  was  seen  of  him  he 
was  in  the  midst  of  the  enemy,  cutting  down  and 
overturning,  for  he  was  a  valiant  warrior  and  of 
prodigious  strength.  When  the  battle  and  pur- 
suit were  at  an  end,  and  the  troops  were  recalled 
by  sound  of  trumpet,  he  did  not  appear.  His  tent 
remained  empty.  The  field  of  battle  was  searched, 
but  he  was  nowhere  to  be  found.  Some  supposed 
that;  in  his  fierce  eagerness  to  make  havoc  among 
the  Moors,  he  had  entered  the  gates  of  the  city 
and  there  been  slain ;  but  his  fate  remained  a 
28 


434     CHRONICLE  OF  FERNANDO  THE  SAINT. 

mere  matter  of  conjecture,  and  the  whole  waa 
considered  an  awful  warning  that  no  Christian 
should  go  into  battle  without  pardoning  those  who 
asked  forgiveness. 

"  On  this  day,"  says  the  worthy  Agapida,  "  it 
pleased  Heaven  to  work  one  of  its  miracles  in 
favor  of  the  Christian  host ;  for  the  blessed  San- 
tiago appeared  in  the  air  on  a  white  horse,  with 
a  white  banner  in  one  hand  and  a  sword  in  the 
other,  accompanied  by  a  band  of  cavaliers  in 
white.  This  miracle,"  he  adds,  "  was  beheld  by 
many  men  of  verity  and  worth,"  probably  the 
monks  and  priests  who  accompanied  the  army ; 
<;  as  well  as  by  numbers  of  the  Moors,  who  de- 
clared that  the  greatest  slaughter  was  effected  by 
those  sainted  warriors." 

It  may  be  as  well  to  add  that  Fray  Antonio 
Agapida  is  supported  in  this  marvelous  fact  by 
Rodrigo,  Archbishop  of  Toledo,  one  of  the  most 
learned  and  pious  men  of  the  age,  who  lived  at 
the  time  and  records  it  in  his  chronicle.  It  is  a 
matter,  therefore,  placed  beyond  the  doubts  of 
the  profane. 

NOTE  BY  THE  EDITOR.  —  A  memorandum  at  the  foot  of 
this  page  of  the  author's  manuscript,  reminds  him  to  "  notice 
death  of  Queen  Beatrix  about  this  time,"  but  the  text  con- 
tinues silent  on  the  subject.  According  to  Mariana,  she  died 
in  the  city  of  Toro  in  1235,  before  the  siege  tf  Cordova.  An- 
other authority  gives  the  5th  of  Novembet,  1236,  as  the  date 
of  the  decease,  which  would  be  some  months  after  the  down- 
fall of  that  renowned  city.  Her  body  was  interred  in  the 
nunnery  of  Las  Huelgas  at  Burgos,  and  many  years  after, 
wards  removed  to  Seville,  where  reposed  the  remains  of  he/ 
husband. 


CHAPTER   VII. 

A  bold  Attempt  upon  Cordova,  the  Seat  of  Moorish  Power. 

I  BOUT  this  time  certain  Christian  cava- 
liers of  the  frontiers  received  informa- 
tion from  Moorish  captives  that  the 
noble  city  of  Cordova  was  negligently  guarded, 
so  that  the  suburbs  might  easily  be  surprised. 
They  immediately  concerted  a  bold  attempt,  and 
sent  to  Pedro  and  Alvar  Perez,  who  were  at 
Martos,  entreating  them  to  aid  them  with  their 
vassals.  Having  collected  a  sufficient  force,  and 
prepared  scaling  ladders,  they  approached  the 
city  on  a  dark  night  in  January,  amid  showers 
of  rain  and  howling  blasts,  which  prevented  their 
footsteps  being  heard.  Arrived  at  the  foot  of 
the  ramparts,  they  listened,  but  could  hear  no 
sentinel.  The  guards  had  shrunk  into  the  watch- 
towers  for  shelter  from  the  pelting  storm,  and  the 
garrison  was  in  profound  sleep,  for  it  was  the 
midwatch  of  the  night. 

Some,  disheartened  by  the  difficulties  of  the 
place,  were  for  abandoning  the  attempt,  but 
Domingo  Munoz,  their  adalid,  or  guide,  encour- 
aged them.  Silently  fastening  ladders  together, 
«io  as  to  be  of  sufficient  length,  they  placed  them 
against  one  of  the  towers.  The  first  who 


436     CHRONICLE   OF  FERNANDO  THE  SAINT. 

mounted  were  Alvar  Colodro  and  Benito  de 
Banos,  who  were  dressed  as  Moors  and  spoke  the 
Arabic  language.  The  tower  which  they  scaled 
is  to  this  day  called  the  tower  of  Alvar  Colodro. 
Entering  it  suddenly  but  silently,  they  found  four 
Moors  asleep,  whom  they  seized  and  threw  over 
the  battlements,  and  the  Christians  below  imme- 
diately dispatched  them.  By  this  time  a  number 
more  of  Christians  had  mounted  the  ladder,  and 
sallying  forth,  sword  in  hand,  upon  the  wall,  they 
gained  possession  of  several  towers  and  of  the 
gate  of  Martos.  Throwing  open  the  gate,  Pero 
Ruyz  Tabur  galloped  in  at  the  head  of  a  squad- 
ron of  horse,  and  by  the  dawn  of  day  the  whole 
suburbs  of  Cordova,  called  the  Axarquia,  were 
in  their  possession  ;  the  inhabitants  having  hastily 
gathered  such  of  their  most  valuable  effects  as 
they  could  carry  with  them,  and  taken  refuge  iu 
the  city. 

The  cavaliers  now  barricaded  every  street  of 
the  suburbs  excepting  the  principal  one,  which 
was  broad  and  straight ;  the  Moors,  however, 
made  frequent  sallies  upon  them,  or  showered 
down  darts  and  arrows  and  stones  from  the  walls 
and  towers  of  the  city.  The  cavaliers  soon 
found  that  they  had  got  into  warm  quarters, 
which  it  would  cost  them  blood  and  toil  to  main- 
tain. They  sent  off  messengers,  therefore,  to 
Don  Alvar  Perez,  then  at  Martos,  and  to  King 
Fernando,  at  Benevente,  craving  instant  aid. 
The  messenger  to  the  king  travelled  day  and 
night,  and  found  the  king  at  table ;  when,  kneel- 
ing down,  he  presented  the  letter  with  which  he 
was  charged. 


CHRONICLE   OF  FERNANDO   THE  SAINT.    437 

No  sooner  had  the  king  read  the  letter  than 
he  called  for  horse  and  weapon.  All  Benevente 
instantly  resounded  with  the  clang  of  arms  and 
tramp  of  steed ;  couriers  galloped  off  in  every 
direction,  rousing  the  towns  and  villages  to  arms, 
and  ordering  every  one  to  join  the  king  on  the 
frontier.  "  Cordova !  Cordova  !  "  was  the  war- 
cry,  —  that  proud  city  of  the  infidels !  that  seat 
of  Moorish  power!  The  king  waited  not  to 
assemble  a  great  force,  but,  within  an  hour  after 
receiving  the  letter,  was  on  the  road  with  a  hun- 
dred good  cavaliers. 

It  was  the  depth  of  winter ;  the  rivers  were 
swollen  with  rain.  The  royal  party  were  often 
obliged  to  halt  on  the  bank  of  some  raging 
stream  until  its  waters  should  subside.  The 
king  was  all  anxiety  and  impatience.  Cordova  ! 
Cordova !  was  the  prize  to  be  won,  and  the  cava- 
liers might  be  driven  out  of  the  suburbs  before 
he  could  arrive  to  their  assistance. 

Arrived  at  Cordova,  he  proceeded  to  the 
bridge  of  Alcolea,  where  he  pitched  his  tents 
and  displayed  the  royal  standard. 

Before  the  arrival  of  the  king,  Alvar  Perez 
had  hastened  from  the  castle  of  Martos  with  a 
body  of  troops,  and  thrown  himself  into  the 
suburbs.  Many  warriors,  both  horse  aad  foot, 
had  likewise  hastened  from  the  frontiers  and 
from  the  various  towns  to  which  th^  king  had 
sent  his  mandates.  Some  came  to  serve  the 
king,  others  out  of  devotion  to  the  holy  faith, 
some  to  gain  renown,  and  not  a  few  to  aid  in 
plundering  the  rich  city  of  Cordova  There 


438     CHRONICLE  OF  FERNANDO  THE  SAINT. 

were   many  monks,  also,  who  had   come  for  the 
glory  of  God  and  the  benefit  of  their  convents. 

When  the  Christians  in  the  suburbs  saw  the 
royal  standard  floating  above  the  camp  of  the 
king,  they  shouted  for  joy,  and  in  the  exultation 
of  the  moment,  forgot  ?,11  past  dangers  and  hard- 
ships. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

A  Spy  in  the  Christian  Camp.  —  Death  of  Aben  Hud.  —  A 
Vital  Blow  to  Moslem  Power.  —  Surrender  of  Cordova  to 
King  Fernando. 

|  BEN  HUD,  the  Moorish  chief,  who  had 
been  defeated  by  Alvar  Perez  and 
Prince  Alonzo  before  Xerez,  was  at  this 
time  in  Ecija  with  a  large  force,  and  disposed  to 
hasten  to  the  aid  of  Cordova,  but  his  recent  de- 
feat had  made  him  cautious.  He  had  in  his  camp 
a  Christian  cavalier,  Don  Lorenzo  Xuares  by 
name,  who  had  been  banished  from  Castile  by 
King  Fernando.  This  cavalier  offered  to  go  as 
a  spy  into  the  Christian  camp,  accompanied  by 
three  Christian  horsemen,  and  to  bring  accounts 
of  its  situation  and  strength.  His  offer  was 
gladly  accepted,  and  Aben  Hud  promis'ed  to  do 
nothing  with  his  forces  until  his  return. 

Don  Lorenzo  set  out  privately  with  his  com- 
panions, and  when  he  came  to  the  end  of  the 
bridge  he  alighted  and  took  one  of  the  three  with 
him,  leaving  the  other  two  to  guard  the  horses. 
He  entered  the  camp  without  impediment,  and 
baw  that  it  was  small  and  of  but  little  force;  for, 
though  recruits  had  repaired  from  all  quarters, 
they  had  as  yet  arrived  in  but  scanty  numbers. 
As  Don  Lorenzo  approached  the  camp  he  saw 


440     CHRONICLE   OF  FERNANDO  THE  SAINT. 

a  montero  who  stood  sentinel.  "  Friend,"  said 
he,  "  do  me  the  kindness  to  call  to  me  some 
person  who  is  about  the  king,  as  I  have  something 
to  tell  him  of  great  importance."  The  sentinel 
went  in  and  brought  out  Don  Otiella.  Don  Lo- 
renzo took  him  aside  and  said,  "Do  you  not  know 
me  ?  I  am  Don  Lorenzo.  I  pray  you  tell  the 
king  that  I  entreat  permission  to  enter  and  com- 
municate matters  touching  his  safety." 

Don  Otiella  went  in  and  awoke  the  king,  who 
was  sleeping,  and  obtained  permission  for  Don 
Lorenzo  to  enter.  When  the  king  beheld  him 
lie  was  wroth  at  his  presuming  to  return  from 
exile ;  but  Don  Lorenzo  replied,  —  "  Senor,  your 
majesty  banished  me  to  the  land  of  the  Moors  to 
do  me  harm,  but  I  believe  it  was  intended  by 
Heaven  for  the  welfare  both  of  your  majesty  and 
myself."  Then  he  apprised  the  king  of  the  in- 
tention of  Aben  Hud  to  come  with  a  great  force 
against  him,  and  of  the  doubts  and  fears  he  en- 
tertained lest  the  army  of  the  king  should  be  too 
powerful.  Don  Lorenzo,  therefore,  advised  the 
king  to  draw  off  as  many  troops  as  could  be  spared 
from  the  suburbs  of  Cordova,  and  to  give  his 
camp  as  formidable  an  aspect  as  possible  ;  and  that 
he  would  return  and  give  Aben  Hud  such  an  ac- 
count of  the  power  of  the  royal  camp  as  would 
deter  him  from  the  attack.  "  If,"  continued  Don 
Lorenzo,  "  I  fail  in  diverting  him  from  his  enter- 
prise, I  will  come  off  with  all  my  vassals  and 
offer  myself,  and  all  I  can  command,  for  the  ser- 
vice of  your  majesty,  and  hope  to  be  accepted  for 
my  good  intentions.  As  to  what  takes  place  in 


CHRONICLE  OF  FERNANDO  THE  SAINT.    441 

the  Moorish  camp,  from  hence,  in  three  days,  1 
will  send  your  majesty  letters  by  this  my  squire." 

The  king  thanked  Don  Lorenzo  for  his  good 
intentions,  and  pardoned  him,  and  took  him  as  his 
vassal ;  and  Don  Lorenzo  said  :  "  I  beseech  your 
majesty  to  order  that  for  three  or  four  nights  there 
be  made  great  fires  in  various  parts  of  the  camp, 
so  that  in  case  Aben  Hud  should  send  scouts  by 
night,  there  may  be  the  appearance  of  a  great 
host."  The  king  promised  it  should  be  done,  and 
Don  Lorenzo  took  his  leave ;  rejoining  his  com- 
panions at  the  bridge,  they  mounted  their  horses 
and  travelled  all  night  and  returned  to  Ecija. 

When  Don  Lorenzo  appeared  in  presence  of 
Aben  Hud  he  had  the  air  of  one  fatigued  aud 
careworn.  To  the  inquiries  of  the  Moor  he  re- 
turned answers  full  of  alarm,  magnifying  the 
power  and  condition  of  the  royal  forces.  "  Senor," 
added  he,  "  if  you  would  be  assured  of  the  truth 
of  what  I  say,  send  out  your  scouts,  and  they  will 
behold  the  Christian  tents  whitening  all  the  banks 
of  the  Guadalquivir,  and  covering  the  country  as 
the  snow  covers  the  mountains  of  Granada;  or  at 
night  they  will  see  fires  on  hill  and  dale  illumining 
all  the  land." 

This  intelligence  redoubled  the  doubts  and  ap- 
prehensions of  Aben  Hud.  On  the  following  day 
two  Moorish  horsemen  arrived  in  all  haste  from 
Zaen,  king  of  Valencia,  informing  him  that  King 
James  of  Aragon  was  coming  against  that  place 
with  a  powerful  army,  and  offering  him  the  su- 
premacy of  the  place  if  he  would  hasten  with  all 
speed  to  its  relief. 


442     CHRONICLE  OF  FERNANDO   TEE  SAifrT. 

Aben  Hud,  thus  perplexed  between  two  objectj, 
asked  advice  of  his  counselors,  among  whom  was 
the  perfidious  Don  Lorenzo.  They  observed  that 
the  Christians,  though  they  had  possession  of  the 
suburbs  of  Cordova,  could  not  for  a  long  time 
master  the  place.  He  would  have  time,  there- 
fore, to  relieve  Valencia,  and  then  turn  his  arms 
and  those  of  King  Zaen  against  the  host  of  King 
Fernando. 

Aben  Hud  listened  to  their  advice,  and  marched 
immediately  for  Almeria,  to  take  thence  his  ships 
to  guard  the  port  of  Valencia.  While  at  Almeria 
a  Moor  named  Aben  Arramin,  and  who  was  his 
especial  favorite,  invited  him  to  a  banquet.  The 
unsuspecting  Aben  Hud  threw  off  his  cares  for 
the  time,  and  giving  loose  to  conviviality  in  the 
house  of  his  favorite,  drank  freely  of  the  wine- 
cup  that  was  insidiously  pressed  upon  him,  until 
he  became  intoxicated.  He  was  then  suffocated 
by  the  traitor  in  a  trough  of  water,  and  it  was 
given  out  that  he  had  died  of  apoplexy. 

At  the  death  of  Aben  Hud,  his  host  fell  asunder, 
and  every  one  hied  him  to  his  home,  whereupon 
Don  Lorenzo  and  the  Christians  who  were  with 
him  hastened  to  King  Fernando,  by  whom  they 
were  graciously  received  and  admitted  into  his 
royal  service. 

The  death  of  Aben  Hud  was  a  vital  blow  to 
Moslem  power,  and  spread  confusion  throughout 
Andalusia.  When  the  people  of  Cordova  heard 
»f  it,  and  of  the  dismemberment  of  his  army,  all 
courage  withered  from  their  hearts.  Day  after 
day  the  army  of  King  Fernando  was  increasing 


CHRONICLE  OF  FERNANDO  THE  SAINT.    443 

the  roads  were  covered  with  foot-soldiers  hasten- 
ing to  his  standard  ;  every  hidalgo  who  could  be- 
stride a  horse  spurred  to  the  banks  of  the  Gua- 
dalquivir to  be  present  at  the  downfall  of  Cordova. 
The  noblest  cavaliers  of  Castile  were  continually 
seen  marching  into  the  camp  with  banners  flying 
and  long  trains  of  retainers. 

The  inhabitants  held  out  as  long  as  there  was 
help  or  hope ;  but  they  were  exhausted  by  fre- 
quent combats  and  long  and  increasing  famine, 
and  now  the  death  of  Aben  Hud  cut  off  all 
chance  of  succor.  With  sad  and  broken  spirits, 
therefore,  they  surrendered  their  noble  city  to 
King  Fernando,  after  a  siege  of  six  months  and 
six  days.  The  surrender  took  place  on  Sunday, 
the  twenty-ninth  day  of  July,  the  feast  of  the 
glorious  Apostles  St.  Peter  and  St.  Paul,  in  the 
year  of  the  Incarnation  one  thousand  two  hundred 
and  thirty-six. 

The  inhabitants  were  permitted  to  march  forth 
in  personal  safety,  but  to  take  nothing  with  them. 
"  Thus,"  exclaims  the  pious  Agapida,  "  was  the 
city  of  Cordova,  the  queen  of  the  cities  of  Anda- 
lusia, which  so  long  had  been  the  seat  of  the 
power  and  grandeur  of  the  Moors,  cleansed  from 
all  the  impurities  of  Mahomet  and  restored  to  the 
dominion  of  the  true  faith." 

King  Fernando  immediately  ordered  the  cross 
to  be  elevated  on  the  tower  of  the  principal 
mosque,  and  beside  it  the  royal  standard  ;  while 
the  bishops,  the  clergy,  and  all  the  people- chanted 
Te  Deum  Laudamus,  as  a  song  of  triumph  for 
this  great  victory  of  the  faith.1 

1  Cron.  Gen.  de  Espana,  pt.  4.    Bleda,  lib.  4,  c.  10. 


444     CHRONICLE  OF  FERNANDO  THE  SAINT. 

The  king,  having  now  gained  full  possession 
of  the  city,  began  to  repair,  embellish,  and  im- 
prove it.  The  grand  mosque,  the  greatest  and 
most  magnificent  in  Spain,  was  now  converted 
into  a  holy  Catholic  church.  The  bishops  and 
other  clergy  walked  round  it  in  solemn  proces- 
sion, sprinkling  holy  water  in  every  nook  and 
corner,  and  performing  all  other  rites  and  cere- 
monies necessary  to  purify  and  sanctify  it.  They 
erected  an  altar  in  it,  also,  in  honor  of  the  Vir- 
gin, and  chanted  masses  with  great  fervor  and 
unction.  In  this  way  they  consecrated  it  to  the 
true  faith,  and  made  it  the  cathedral  of  the  citv. 

In  this  mosque  were  found  the  bells  of  the 
church  of  San  lago  in  Gallicia,  which  the 
Alhagib  Almanzor,  in  the  year  of  our  Re- 
demption nine  hundred  and  seventy-five,  had 
brought  off  in  triumph  and  placed  here,  turned 
with  their  mouths  upward  to  serve  as  lamps, 
and  remain  shining  mementos  of  his  victory. 
King  Fernando  ordered  that  these  bells  should 
be  restored  to  the  church  of  San  lago;  and 
as  Christians  had  been  obliged  to  bring  those 
bells  hither  on  their  shoulders,  so  infidels  were 
compelled  in  like  manner  to  carry  them  back. 
Great  was  the  popular  triumph  when  these 
bells  had  their  tongues  restored  to  them,  and 
were  once  more  enabled  to  fill  the  air  with  their 
holy  clangor. 

Having  ordered  all  things  for  the  security  and 
welfare  of  the  city,  the  king  placed  it  under  the 
government  of  Don  Tello  Alonzo  de  Meneses ; 
he  appointed  Don  Alvar  Perez  de  Castro,  also, 


CHRONICLE  OF  FERNANDO  THE  SAINT.    445 

general  of  the  frontier,  having  his  stronghold  in 
the  castle  of  the  rock  of  Martos.  The  king 
then  returned,  covered  with  glory,  to  Toledo. 

The  fame  of  the  recovery  of  the  renowned 
city  of  Cordova,  which  for  five  hundred  and 
twenty-two  years  had  been  in  the  power  of  the 
infidels,  soon  spread  throughout  the  kingdom,  and 
people  came  crowding  from  every  part  to  inhabit 
it.  The  gates  which  lately  had  been  thronged 
with  steel-clad  warriors  were  now  besieged  by 
peaceful  wayfarers  of  all  kinds,  conducting  trains 
of  mules  laden  with  their  effects  and  all  their 
household  wealth ;  and  so  great  was  the  throng 
that  in  a  little  while  there  were  not  houses  suffi- 
cient to  receive  them. 

King  Fernando,  having  restored  the  bells  to 
San  lago,  had  others  suspended  in  the  tower  of 
the  mosque,  whence  the  muezzin  had  been  accus- 
tomed to  call  the  Moslems  to  their  worship. 
"  When  the  pilgrims,"  says  Fray  Antonio  Aga- 
pida,  "  who  repaired  to  Cordova,  heard  the  holy 
Bound  of  these  bells  chiming  from  the  tower  of 
the  cathedral,  their  hearts  leaped  for  joy,  and 
they  invoked  blessings  on  the  head  of  the  pious 
King  Fernando." 


CHAPTER  IX. 

Marriage  of  King  Fernando  to  the  Princess  Juana.  —  Fam- 
ine at  Cordova. — Don  Alvar  Perez. 

HEN  Queen  Berenguela  beheld  King 
Fernando  returning  in  triumph  from 
ioL^l&jfcJ  the  conquest  of  Cordova,  her  heart  was 
lifted  up  with  transport,  for  there  is  nothing  that 
more  rejoices  the  heart  of  a  mother  than  the 
true  glory  of  her  son.  The  queen,  however,  as 
has  been  abundantly  shown,  was  a  woman  of 
great  sagacity  and  forecast.  She  considered  that 
upwards  of  two  years  had  elapsed  since  the  death 
of  the  Queen  Beatrix,  and  that  her  son  was  liv- 
ing in  widowhood.  It  is  true  he  was  of  quiet 
temperament,  and  seemed  sufficiently  occupied  by 
the  cares  of  government  and  the  wars  for  the 
faith  ;  so  that  apparently  he  had  no  thought  of 
further  matrimony ;  but  the  shrewd  mother  con- 
sidered likewise  that  he  was  in  the  prime  and 
vigor  of  his  days,  renowned  in  arms,  noble  and 
commanding  in  person,  and  gracious  and  capti- 
vating in  manners,  and  surrounded  by  the  tempta- 
tions of  a  court.  True,  he  was  a  saint  in  spirit, 
but  after  all  in  flesh  he  was  a  man,  and  might  be 
led  away  into  those  weaknesses  very  incident  to, 
but  highly  unbecoming  of,  the  exalted  state  of 
princes.  The  good  mother  was  anxious,  there- 


CHRONICLE  OF  FERNANDO  THE  SAINT.    447 

fore,  that  he  should  enter  again  into  the  secure 
and  holy  state  of  wedlock. 

King  Fernando,  a  mirror  of  obedience  to  his* 
mother,  readily  concurred  with  her  views  in  the 
present  instance,  and  left  it  to  her  judgment  and 
discretion  to  make  a  choice  for  him.  The  choice 
fell  upon  the  Princess  Juana,  daughter  of  the 
Count  of  Pothier,  and  a  descendant  of  Louis  the 
Seventh  of  France.  The  marriage  was  negoti- 
ated by  Queen  Berenguela  with  the  Count  of 
Pothier;  and  the  conditions  being  satisfactorily 
arranged,  the  princess  was  conducted  in  due  state 
to  Burgos,  where  the  nuptials  were  celebrated 
with  great  pomp  and  ceremony. 

The  king,  as  well  as  his  subjects,  was  highly 
satisfied  with  the  choice  of  the  sage  Berenguela, 
for  the  bride  was  young,  beautiful,  and  of  stately 
form,  and  conducted  herself  with  admirable  suav- 
ity and  grace. 

After  the  rejoicings  were  over,  King  Fernando 
departed  with  his  bride,  and  visited  the  principal 
cities  and  towns  of  Castile  and  Leon ;  receiving 
the  homage  of  his  subjects,  and  administering 
justice  according  to  the  primitive  forms  of  those 
days,  when  sovereigns  attended  personally  to  the 
petitions  and  complaints  of  their  subjects,  and 
went  about  hearing  causes  and  redressing  griev- 
ances. 

In  the  course  of  his  progress,  hearing  while  at 
Toledo  of  a  severe  famine  which  prevailed  at 
Cordova,  he  sent  a  large  supply  of  money  to  that 
city,  and  at  the  same  time  issued  orders  to  various 
parts,  to  transport  thither  as  much  grain  as  pos 


448     CHRONICLE  OF  FERNANDO  THE  SAINT. 

sible.  The  calamity,  however,  went  on  increas- 
ing. The  conquest  of  Cordova  had  drawn 
thither  great  multitudes,  expecting  to  thrive  on 
the  well-known  fertility  and  abundance  of  the 
country.  But  the  Moors,  in  the  agitation  of  the 
time,  had  almost  ceased  to  cultivate  their  fields ; 
the  troops  helped  to  consume  the  supplies  on 
hand  ;  there  were  few  hands  to  labor  and  an  in- 
finity of  mouths  to  eat,  and  the  cry  of  famine 
went  on  daily  growing  more  intense. 

Upon  this,  Don  Alvar  Perez,  who  had  com- 
mand of  the  frontier,  set  off  to  represent  the 
case  in  person  to  the  king ;  for  one  living  word 
from  the  mouth  is  more  effective  than  a  thousand 
dead  words  from  the  pen.  He  found  the  king 
at  Valladolid,  deeply  immersed  in  the  religious 
exercises  of  Holy  Week,  and  much  did  it  grieve 
this  saintly  monarch,  say  his  chroniclers,  to  be 
obliged  even  for  a  moment  to  quit  the  holy  quiet 
of  the  church  for  the  worldly  bustle  of  the  palace, 
to  lay  by  the  saint  and  enact  the  sovereign. 
Having  heard  the  representations  of  Don  Alvar 
Perez,  he  forthwith  gave  him  ample  funds  where- 
with to  maintain  his  castles,  his  soldiers,  and 
even  the  idlers  who  thronged  about  the  frontier, 
and  who  would  be  useful  subjects  when  the 
times  should  become  settled.  Satisfied,  also,  of 
the  zeal  and  loyalty  of  Alvar  Perez,  which  had 
been  so  strikingly  displayed  in  the  present  in- 
stance, he  appointed  him  adelantado  of  the  whole 
frontier  of  Andalusia  — an  office  equivalent  to 
that  at  present  called  viceroy.  Don  Alvar  has- 
tened back  to  execute  his  mission  and  enter  upon 


CHRONICLE  OF  FERNANDO  THE  SAINT.    449 

his  new  office.  He  took  his  station  at  Martos, 
in  its  rock-built  castle,  which  was  the  key  of  all 
that  frontier,  whence  he  could  carry  relief  to  any 
point  of  his  command,  and  could  make  occasional 
incursions  into  the  territories.  The  following 
chapter  will  show  the  cares  and  anxieties  which 
awaited  him  in  his  new  command. 


CPIAPTER  X. 

Aben  Alhamar,  Founder  of  the  Alhambra.—  Fortifies  Granada 
and  makes  it  his  Capital.  — Attempts  to  surprise  the  Castle 
of  Martos.  —  Peril  of  the  Fortress.  —  A  Woman's  Stratagem 
to  save  it.  — Diego  Perez,  the  Smasher.  —  Death  of  Count 
Alvar  Perez  de  Castro. 

IN  the  death  of  Aben  Hud,  the  Moorish 
power  in  Spain  was  broken  up  into 
factions,  as  has  already  been  mentioned, 
but  these  factions  were  soon  united  under  one 
head,  who  threatened  to  be  a  formidable  adver- 
sary to  the  Christians.  This  was  Mohammed  ben 
Alhamar,  or  Aben  Alhamar,  as  he  is  commonly 
called  in  history.  He  was  a  native  of  Arjona, 
of  noble  descent,  being  of  the  Beni  Nasar,  or 
race  of  Nasar,  and  had  been  educated  in  a  man- 
ner befitting  his  rank.  Arrived  at  manly  years, 
he  had  been  appointed  alcayde  of  Arjona  and 
Jaen,  and  had  distinguished  himself  by  the  justice 
and  benignity  of  his  rule.  He  was  intrepid, 
also,  and  ambitious,  and  during  the  late  dissen- 
sions among  the  Moslems  had  extended  his  terri- 
tories, making  himself  master  of  many  strong 
places. 

On  the  death  of  Aben  Hud,  he  made  a  mili- 
tary circuit  through  the  Moorish  territories,  and 
was  everywhere  hailed  with  acclamations  as  the 


CHRONICLE  OF  FERNANDO  THE  SAINT.    451 

only  one  who  could  save  the  Moslem  power  in 
Spain  from  annihilation.  At  length  he  entered 
Granada  amidst  the  enthusiastic  shouts  of  the 
populace.  Here  he  was  proclaimed  king,  and 
found  himself  at  the  head  of  the  Moslems  of 
Spain,  being  the  first  of  his  illustrious  line  that 
ever  sat  upon  a  throne.  It  needs  nothing  more 
to  give  lasting  renown  to  Aben  Alhamar  than  to 
say  he  was  the  founder  of  the  Alhambra,  that 
magnificent  monument  which  to  this  day  bears 
testimony  to  Moorish  taste  and  splendor.  As 
yet,  however,  Aben  Alhamar  had  not  time  to  in- 
dulge in  the  arts  of  peace.  He  saw  the  storm 
of  war  that  threatened  his  newly-founded  king- 
dom, and  prepared  to  buffet  with  it.  The  terri- 
tories of  Granada  extended  along  the  coast  from 
Algeziras  almost  to  Murcia,  and  inland  as  far  as 
Jaen  and  Huescar.  All  the  frontiers  he  hastened 
to  put  in  a  state  of  defense,  while  he  strongly 
fortified  the  city  of  Granada,  which  he  made  his 
capital. 

By  the  Mahometan  law  every  citizen  is  a  sol- 
dier, and  to  take  arms  in  defense  of  the  country 
and  the  faith  is  a  religious  and  imperative  duty. 
Aben  Alhamar,  however,  knew  the  unsteadiness 
of  hastily  levied  militia,  and  organized  a  standing 
force  to  garrison  his  forts  and  cities,  the  expense 
of  which  he  defrayed  from  his  own  revenues. 
The  Moslem  warriors  from  all  parts  now  rallied 
under  his  standard,  and  fifty  thousand  Moors, 
Abandoning  Valencia  on  the  conquest  of  that 
country  by  the  king  of  Aragon,  hastened  to  put 
themselves  under  the  dominion  of  Aben  Alhamar. 


452     CBRONICIF,  OF  FERNANDO  THE  SAINT. 

Don  Alvar  Perez,  on  returning  to  his  post, 
had  intelligence  of  all  these  circumstances,  and 
perceived  that  he  had  not  sufficient  force  to  mako 
head  against  such  a  formidable  neighbor,  and  that 
in  fact  the  whole  frontier,  so  recently  wrested 
from  the  Moors,  was  in  danger  of  being  recon- 
quered. With  his  old  maxim,  therefore,  "There 
is  more  life  in  one  word  from  the  mouth  than  in 
a  thousand  words  from  the  pen,"  he  determined 
to  have  another  interview  with  King  Fernando, 
and  acquaint  him  witli  the  imminent  dangers  im- 
pending over  the  frontier. 

He  accordingly  took  his  departure  with  great 
secrecy,  leaving  his  countess  and  her  women  and 
donzellas  in  his  castle  of  the  rock  of  Martos, 
guarded  by  his  nephew  Don  Tello  and  forty 
chosen  men. 

The  departure  of  Don  Alvar  Perez  was  not 
so  secret,  however,  but  that  Aben  Alhamar  had 
notice  of  it  by  his  spies,  and  he  resolved  to  make 
an  attempt  to  surprise  the  castle  of  Martos, 
which,  as  has  been  said,  was  the  key  to  all  this 
frontier. 

Don  Tello,  who  had  been  left  in  command  of 
the  fortress,  was  a  young  galliard,  full  of  the  fire 
of  youth,  and  he  had  several  hardy  and  adven- 
turous cavaliers  with  him,  among  whom  was 
Diego  Perez  de  Vargas,  surnamed  Machacha,  or 
the  Smasher,  for  his  exploits  at  the  battle  of 
Xerez  in  smashing  the  heads  of  the  Moors  with 
the  limb  of  an  olive-tree.  These  hot-blooded 
cavaliers,  looking  out  like  hawks  from  their 
mountain  hold,  were  seized  with  an  irresistible 


CHRONICLE  OF  FERNANDO  THE  SAINT.    458 

inclination  to  make  a  foray  into  the  lands  of  their 
Moorish  neighbors.  On  a  bright  morning  they 
accordingly  set  forth,  promising  the  donzellas  of 
the  castle  to  bring  them  jewels  and  rich  silks, 
the  spoils  of  Moorish  women. 

The  cavaliers  had  not  been  long  gone  when 
the  castle  was  alarmed  by  the  sound  of  trumpets, 
and  the  watchman  from  the  tower  gave  notice  of 
a  cloud  of  dust,  with  Moorish  banners  and  armor 
gleaming  through  it.  It  was,  in  fact,  the  Moor- 
ish king,  Aben  Alhamar,  who  pitched  his  tents 
before  the  castle. 

Great  was  the  consternation  that  reigned 
within  the  walls,  for  all  the  men  were  absent, 
excepting  one  or  two  necessary  for  the  service 
of  the  castle.  The  dames  and  donzellas  gave 
themselves  up  to  despair,  expecting  to  be  carried 
away  captive,  perhaps  to  supply  some  Moorish 
harem.  The  countess,  however,  was  of  an  in- 
trepid spirit  and  ready  invention.  Summoning 
her  duenas  and  damsels,  she  made  them  arrange 
their  hair,  and  dress  themselves  like  men,  take 
weapons  in  hand,  and  shew  themselves  between 
the  battlements.  The  Moorish  king  was  de- 
ceived, and  supposed  the  fort  well  garrisoned. 
He  was  deterred,  therefore,  from  attempting  to 
take  it  by  storm.  In  the  mean  time  she  dis- 
patched a  messenger  by  the  postern-gate,  with 
orders  to  speed  swiftly  in  quest  of  Don  Tello, 
and  tell  him  the  peril  of  the  fortress. 

At  hearing  these  tidings,  Don  Tello  and  his 
companions  turned  their  reins  and  spurred  back 
for  the  castle,  bu*  on  drawing  nigh,  they  saw  from 


454     CHRONICLE  OF  FERNANDO  THE  SAINT. 

a  hill  that  it  was  invested  by  a  numerous  host 
who  were  battering  the  walls.  It  was  an  appall- 
ing sight,  —  to  cut  their  way  through  such  a  force 
seemed  hopeless,  —  yet  their  hearts  were  wrung 
with  anguish  when  they  thought  of  the  countess 
and  her  helpless  donzellas.  Upon  this,  Diego 
Perez  de  Vargas,  surnamed  Machacha,  stepped 
forward  and  proposed  to  form  a  forlorn  hope,  and 
attempt  to  force  a  passage  to  the  castle.  "  If  any 
of  us  succeed,"  said  he,  "  we  may  save  the  countess 
and  the  rock  ;  if  we  fall,  we  shall  save  our  souls 
and  act  the  parts  of  good  cavaliers.  This  rock 
is  the  key  of  all  the  frontier,  on  which  the  king 
depends  to.  get  possession  of  the  country.  Shame 
would  it  be  if  Moors  should  capture  it ;  above  all 
if  they  should  lead  away  our  honored  countess 
and  her  ladies  captive  before  our  eyes,  while  our 
lances  remain  unstained  by  blood  and  we  unscarred 
with  a  wound.  For  my  part,  I  would  rather  die 
than  see  it.  Life  is  but  short ;  we  should  do  in 
it  our  best.  So,  in  a  word,  cavaliers,  if  you  re- 
fuse to  join  me  I  will  take  my  leave  of  you  and 
do  what  I  can  with  my  Dingle  arm." 

*'  Diego  Perez,"  cried  Don  Tello,  "  you  have 
spoken  my  very  wishes ;  I  will  stand  by  you  until 
the  death,  and  let  those  who  are  good  cavaliers 
and  hidalgos  follow  our  example." 

The  other  cavaliers  caught  fire  at  these  words  ; 
forming  a  solid  squadron,  they  put  spurs  to  their 
horses  and  rushed  down  upon  the  Moors.  The 
first  who  broke  into  the  ranks  of  the  enemy  was 
Diego  Perez,  the  Smasher,  and  he  opened  a  way 
for  the  others.  Their  only  object  was  to  cut  their 


CHRONICLE  OF  FERNANDO  THE  SAINT.    455 

way  to  the  fortress ;  so  they  fought  and  pressed 
forward.  The  most  of  them  got  to  the  rock  ; 
Borne  were  cut  off  by  the  Moors,  and  died  like 
valiant  knights,  fighting  to  the  last  gasp. 

When  the  Moorish  king  saw  the  daring  of  these 
cavaliers,  and  that  they  had  succeeded  in  rein- 
forcing the  garrison,  he  despaired  of  gaining  the 
castle  without  much  time,  trouble,  and  loss  pf 
blood.  He  persuaded  himself,  therefore,  that  it 
was  not  worth  the  price,  and,  striking  his  tents, 
abandoned  the  siege.  Thus  the  rock  of  Martos 
was  saved  by  the  sagacity  of  the  countess  and 
the  prowess  of  Diego  Perez  de  Vargas,  surnamed 
the  Smasher. 

In  the  mean  time,  Don  Alvar  Perez  de  Castro 
arrived  in  presence  of  the  king  at  Hutiel.  King 
Fernando  received  him  with  benignity,  but  seemed 
to  think  his  zeal  beyond  his  prudence ;  leaving  so 
important  a  frontier  so  weakly  guarded,  sinking 
the  viceroy  in  the  courier,  and  coming  so  far  to 
give  by  word  of  mouth  what  might  easily  have 
been  communicated  by  letter.  He  felt  the  value, 
however,  of  his  loyalty  and  devotion,  but,  furnish- 
ing him  with  ample  funds,  requested  him  to  lose 
no  time  in  getting  back  to  his  post.  The  count 
Bet  out  on  his  return,  but  it  is  probable  the  ardor 
and  excitement  of  his  spirit  proved  fatal  to  him, 
for  he  was  seized  with  a  violent  fever  when  on 
the  journey,  and  died  in  the  town  of  Orgaz. 


CHAPTER  XL 

4ben  Hudiel,  the  Moorish  King  of  Murcia,  becomes  the 
Vassal  of  King  Fernando.  —  Aben  Alhamar  seeks  to  drive 
the  Christians  out  of  Andalusia.  —  Fernando  takes  the 
Field  against  him.  —  Ravages  of  the  King.  —  His  Last 
Meeting  with  the  Queen-Mother. 

HE  death  of  Count  Alvar  Perez  de  Castro 
caused  deep  affliction  to  King  Fernando, 
for  he  considered  him  the  shield  of  the 
frontier.  While  he  was  at  Cordova,  or  at  his 
rock  of  Martos,  the  king  felt  as  assured  of  the 
safety  of  the  border  as  though  he  had  been  there 
himself.  As  soon  as  he  could  be  spared  from 
Castile  and  Leon,  he  hastened  to  Cordova,  to 
supply  the  loss  the  frontier  had  sustained  in  the 
person  of  his  vigilant  lieutenant.  One  of  his 
first  measures  was  to  effect  a  truce  of  one  year 
with  the  king  of  Granada,  —  a  measure  which 
each  adopted  with  great  regret,  compelled  by  hia 
several  policy :  King  Fernando  to  organize  and 
secure  his  recent  conquests  ;  Aben  Alhamar  to 
regulate  and  fortify  his  newly  founded  kingdom. 
Each  felt  that  he  had  a  powerful  enemy  to  en- 
counter and  a  desperate  struggle  before  him. 

King  Fernando  remained  at  Cordova  until  the 
spring  of  the  following  year  (1241),  regulating 
the  affairs  of  that  noble  city,  assigning  houses 


CHRONICLE  OF  FERNANDO  THE  SAINT.    457 

and  estates  to  such  of  his  cavaliers  as  had  dis- 
tinguished themselves  in  the  conquest,  and,  as 
usual,  making  rich  donations  of  towns  and  great 
tracts  of  land  to  the  Church  and  to  different  re- 
ligious orders.  Leaving  his  brother  Alfonso  with 
a  sufficient  force  to  keep  an  eye  upon  the  king 
of  Granada  and  hold  him  in  check,  King  Fernando 
departed  for  Castile,  making  a  circuit  by  Jaen 
and  Baeza  and  Andujar,  and  arriving  in  Toledo 
on  the  fourth  of  April.  Here  he  received  im- 
portant propositions  from  Aben  Hudiel,  the 
Moorish  king  of  Murcia.  The  death  of  Aben 
Hud  had  left  that  kingdom  a  scene  of  confusion. 
The  alcaydes  of  the  different  cities  and  fortresses 
were  at  strife  with  each  other,  and  many  refused 
allegiance  to  Aben  Hudiel.  The  latter,  too,  was 
in  hostility  with  Aben  Alhamar,  the  king  of 
Granada,  and  he  feared  he  would  take  advantage 
of  his  truce  with  King  Fernando,  and  the  dis- 
tracted state  of  the  kingdom  of  Murcia,  to  make 
an  inroad.  Thus  desperately  situated,  Aben 
Hudiel  had  sent  missives  to  King  Fernando,  en- 
treating his  protection,  and  offering  to  become  his 
vassal. 

The  king  of  Castile  gladly  closed  with  this 
offer.  He  forthwith  sent  his  son  and  heir,  the 
Prince  Alfonso,  to  receive  the  submission  of  the 
king  of  Murcia.  As  the  prince  was  young  and 
inexperienced  in  these  affairs  of  state,  he  sent 
with  him  Don  Pelayo  de  Correa,  the  Grand  Master 
of  Santiago,  a  cavalier  of  consummate  wisdom 
and  address,  and  also  Rodrigo  Gonzalez  Giron. 
The  prince  was  received  in  Murcia  with  regaJ 


458     CHRONICLE  OF  FERNANDO  THE  SAINT. 

honors ;  the  terms  were  soon  adjusted  by  wnich 
the  Moorish  king  acknowledged  vassalage  to  King 
Fernando,  and  ceded  to  him  one  half  of  his  rev- 
enues, in  return  for  which  the  king  graciously 
took  him  under  his  protection.  The  alcaydes  of 
Alicant,  Elche,  Oriola,  and  several  other  places, 
agreed  to  this  covenant  of  vassalage,  but  it  was 
indignantly  spurned  by  the  Wall  of  Lorca;  he 
had  been  put  in  office  by  Aben  Hud  ;  and,  now 
that  potentate  was  no  more,  he  aspired  to  exercise 
an  independent  sway,  and  had  placed  alcaydes  of 
his  own  party  in  Mula  and  Carthagena. 

As  the  Prince  Alfonso  had  come  to  solemnize 
he   act  of    homage  and  vassalage    proposed    by 
he  Moorish  king,  and  not  to  extort  submission 
(rom  his  subjects  by  force  of  arms,  he  contented 
himself  with    making    a    progress    through    the 
kingdom  and  receiving  the  homage  of    the    ac- 
quiescent towns  and  cities,  after  which  he  rejoined 
his  father  in   Castile. 

It  is  conceived  by  the  worthy  Fray  Antonio 
Agapida,  as  well  as  by  other  monkish  chroniclers, 
that  this  important  acquisition  of  territory  by  the 
saintly  Fernando  was  a  boon  from  Heaven  in  re- 
ward of  an  offering  which  he  made  to  God  of 
his  daughter  Berenguela,  whom  early  in  this  year 
he  dedicated  as  a  nun  in  the  convent  of  Las  Huel- 
gas,  in  Burgos  —  of  which  convent  the  king's 
Bister  Constanta  was  abbess.1 

About  this  time  it  was  that   King    Fernando 
gave  an   instance    of   his    magnanimity   and    his 
chivalrous  disposition.     We  have  seen  the  deadly 
1  Cronica  del  Rey  Santo,  cap.  13. 


CHRONICLE  OF  FERNANDO  THE  SAINT.    459 

opposition  he  had  experienced  from  the  haughty 
house  of  Lara,  and  the  ruin  which  the  three 
brothers  brought  upon  themselves  by  their  trai- 
torous hostility.  The  anger  of  the  king  was  ap- 
peased by  their  individual  rnin  ;  he  did  not  desire 
to  revenge  himself  upon  their  helpless  families,  nor 
to  break  down  and  annihilate  a  house  lofty  and  hon- 
ored in  the  traditions  of  Spain.  One  of  the  brothers, 
Don  Fernando,  had  left  a  daughter,  Dona  Sancha 
Fernandez  de  Lara ;  there  happened  at  this  time 
to  be  in  Spain  a  cousin-german  of  the  king,  a 
prince  of  Portugal,  Don  Fernando  by  name,  who 
held  the  seiioria  of  Serpa.  Between  this  prince 
and  Dona  Sancha  the  king  effected  a  marriage, 
whence  has  sprung  one  of  the  most  illustrious 
branches  of  the  ancient  house  of  Lara.1  The 
other  daughters  of  Don  Fernando  retained  large 
possessions  in  Castile  ;  and  one  of  his  sons  will 
be  found  serving  valiantly  under  the  standard  of 
the  king. 

In  the  mean  time  the  truce  with  Aben  Alhamar, 
the  king  of  Granada,  had  greatly  strengthened 
the  hands  of  that  monarch.  He  had  received 
accessions  of  troops  from  various  parts,  had  for- 
tified his  capital  and  his  frontiers,  and  now 
fomented  disturbances  in  the  neighboring  king- 
dom of  Murcia,  —  encouraging  the  refractory 
cities  to  persist  in  their  refusal  of  vassalage,  — 
hoping  to  annex  that  kingdom  to  his  own  newly 
consolidated  dominions. 

The  Wali  of  Lorca  and  his  partisans,  the  al- 
caydes  of  Mula  and  Carthagena,  thus  instigated 
1  Nola?  para  la  Vida  dd  Santo  Rey,  p.  554. 


460     CHRONICLE  OF  FERNANDO  THE  SAINT. 

by  the  king  of  Granada,  now  increased  in  tur- 
bulence, and  completely  overawed  the  feeble- 
handed  Aben  Hudiel.  King  Fernando  thought 
this  a  good  opportunity  to  give  his  son  and  heir 
his  first  essay  in  arms.  He  accordingly  dis- 
patched the  prince  a  second  time  to  Murcia,  ac- 
companied as  before  by  Don  Pelayo  de  Correa, 
the  Grand  Master  of  Santiago  ;  but  he  sent 
him  now  with  a  strong  military  force,  to  play  the 
part  of  a  conqueror.  The  conquest,  as  may  be 
supposed,  was  easy  ;  Mula,  Lorca,  and  Carthagena 
soon  submitted,  and  the  whole  kingdom  was  re- 
duced to  vassalage  —  Fernando  henceforth  add- 
ing to  his  other  titles  King  of  Murcia.  "  Thus," 
says  Fray  Antonio  Agapida,  "was  another 
precious  jewel  wrested  from  the  kingdom  of 
Antichrist,  and  added  to  the  crown  of  this  saintly 
monarch." 

But  it  was  not  in  Murcia  alone  that  King 
Fernando  found  himself  called  to  contend  with 
his  new  adversary  the  king  of  Granada.  That 
able  and  active  monarch,  strengthened  as  has 
been  said  during  the  late  truce,  had  made  bold 
forays  in  the  frontiers  recently  conquered  by 
King  Fernando,  and  had  even  extended  them  to 
the  neighborhood  of  Cordova.  In  all  this  he 
had  been  encouraged  by  some  degree  of  neg- 
ligence and  inaction  on  the  part  of  King  Fer- 
nando's  brother  Alfonso,  who  had  been  left  in 
charge  of  the  frontier.  The  prince  took  the 
field  against  Aben  Alhamar,  and  1'ought  him  man- 
fully ;  but  the  Moorish  force  was  too  powerful 
to  be  withstood^  and  the  prince  was  defeated. 


CHRONICLE  OF  FERNANDO  THE  SAINT.    461 

Tidings  of  this  was  sent  to  King  Fernando, 
arid  of  the  great  danger  of  the  frontier,  as  Aben 
Alharnar,  flushed  with  success,  was  aiming  to 
drive  the  Christians  out  of  Andalusia.  King 
Fernando  immediately  set  off  for  the  frontier,  ac- 
companied by  the  Queen  Juana.  He  did  not 
wait  to  levy  a  powerful  force,  but  took  with  him 
a  small  number  —  knowing  the  loyalty  of  his 
subjects  and  their  belligerent  propensities,  and 
that  they  would  hasten  to  his  standard  the  moment 
they  knew  he  was  in  the  field  and  exposed  to 
danger.  His  force  accordingly  increased  as  he 
advanced.  At  Andujar  he  met  his  brother  Al- 
fonso with  the  relics  of  his  lately  defeated  army, 
—  all  brave  and  expert  soldiers.  He  had  now 
a  commanding  force,  and  leaving  the  queen  with 
a  sufficient  guard  at  Andujar,  he  set  off  with  his 
brother  Alonzo  and  Don  Nufio  Gonzalez  de  Lara, 
son  of  the  Count  Gonzalo,  to  scour  the  country 
about  Arjona,  Jaen,  and  Alcandete.  The  Moors 
took  refuge  in  their  strong  places,  whence  they 
saw  with  aching  hearts  the  desolation  of  their 
country  —  olive  plantations  on  fire,  vineyards 
laid  waste,  groves  and  orchards  cut  down,  and  all 
the  other  modes  of  ravage  practiced  in  these  un- 
sparing wars. 

The  king  of  Granada  did  not  venture  to  take 
the  field  ;  and  King  Fernando,  meeting  no  enemy 
to  contend  with,  while  ravaging  the  lands  of  Al- 
candete, detached  a  part  of  his  force  under  Don 
Bodrigo  Fernandez  de  Castro,  a  son  of  the  brave 
Alvar  Perez  lately  deceased,  and  he  associated 
with  him  Nuiio  Gonzales,  with  orders  to  besiege 


4  G  2     CUR  ONI  OLE  OF  FERN  AND  0  TEE  SAINT. 

Arjona.  This  was  a  place  dear  to  Aben  Alhu- 
mar,  the  King  of  Granada,  being  his  native  place, 
where  he  had  first  tasted  the  sweets  of  power. 
Hence  he  was  commonly  called  the  king  of 
Arjona. 

The  people  of  the  place,  though  they  had 
quailed  before  King  Fernando,  despised  his  offi- 
cers and  set  them  at  defiance.  The  king  himself, 
however,  made  his  appearance  on  the  following 
day  with  the  remainder  of  his  forces,  whereupon 
Arjona  capitulated. 

While  his  troops  were  reposing  from  their 
fatigues,  the  king  made  some  further  ravages, 
and  reduced  several  small  towns  to  obedience. 
He  then  sent  his  brother  Don  Alfonso  with 
sufficient  forces  to  carry  fire  and  sword  into  the 
Vega  of  Granada.  In  the  mean  time  he  re- 
turned to  Andujar  to  the  Queen  Juan  a.  He 
merely  came,  say  the  old  chroniclers,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  conducting  her  to  Cordova ;  fulfilling,  al- 
ways, his  duty  as  a  cavalier,  without  neglecting 
that  of  a  king. 

The  moment  he  had  left  her  in  her  palace  at 
Cordova,  he  hastened  back  to  join  his  brother  in 
harassing  the  territories  of  Granada.  He  came 
in  time ;  for  Aben  Alliamar,  enraged  at  seeing 
the  destruction  of  the  Vega,  made  such  a  vigor- 
ous sally  that  had  Prince  Alfonso  been  alone  in 
command,  he  might  have  received  a  second  les- 
son still  more  disastrous  than  the  first.  The 
presence  of  the  king,  however,  put  new  spirits 
and  valor  into  the  troops :  the  Moors  were  driven 
back  to  the  city,  and  the  Christians  pursued  them 


CHRONICLE  OF  FERNANDO  THE  SAINT.    463 

to  the  very  gates.  As  the  king  had  not  sufficient 
forces  with  him  to  attempt  the  capture  of  this 
place,  he  contented  himself  with  the  mischief  he 
had  clone,  and,  with  some  more  which  he  subse- 
quently effected,  he  returned  to  Cordova  to  let 
his  troops  rest  from  their  fatigues. 

While  the  king  was  in  this  city  a  messenger 
arrived  from  his  mother,  the  Queen  Berenguela, 
informing  him  of  her  intention  of  coming  to  pay 
him  a  visit.  A  long  time  had  elapsed  since  they 
had  seen  each  other,  and  her  extreme  age  ren- 
dered her  anxious  to  embrace  her  son.  The  king, 
to  prevent  her  from  taking  so  long  a  journey,  set 
off  to  meet  her,  taking  with  him  his  Queen  Juana. 
The  meeting  took  place  in  Pezuelo  near  Burgos, l 
and  was  affecting  on  both  sides,  for  never  did  son 
and  mother  love  and  honor  each  other  more  truly. 
In  this  interview,  the  queen  represented  her  age 
and  increasing  weakness,  and  her  incapacity  to 
cope  with  the  fatigues  of  public  affairs,  of  which 
she  had  always  shared  the  burden  with  the  king ; 
she  therefore  signified  her  wish  to  retire  to  her 
convent,  to  pass  the  remnant  of  her  days  'in  holy 
repose.  King  Fernando,  who  had  ever  found  in 
his  mother  his  ablest  counselor  and  best  support, 
entreated  her  not  to  leave  his  side  in  these  arduous 
times,  when  the  King  of  Granada  on  one  side, 
and  the  King  of  Seville  on  the  other,  threatened 
to  put  all  his  courage  and  resources  to  the  trial. 
A  long  and  earnest,  yet  tender  and  affectionate, 
conversation  succeeded  between  them,  which  re- 

1  Some  chronicles,  through  mistake,  make  it  Pezuelo  near 
Ciudal  Real,  in  the  mountains  on  the  confines  of  Granada. 


464  CHRONICLE  OF  FERNANDO  THE  SA1N\ 

suited  in  the  queen-mother's  yielding  to  his  solicj 
tations.  The  illustrious  son  and  mother  remained 
together  six  weeks,  enjoying  each  other's  society^ 
after  which  they  separated —  the  king  and  queen 
for  the  frontier,  and  the  queen-mother  for  Toledo. 
They  were  never  to  behold  each  other  again  upon 
earth,  for  the  king  never  returned  to  Castile. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

King  Fernando's  Expedition  to  Andalusia.  —  Siege  of  Jaen. 
Secret  Departure  of  Aben   Alhamar  for  the  Christian 
Camp.  —  He  Acknowledges  himself  the  Vassal  of  the  King, 
who  enters  Jaen  in  Triumph. 

JT  was  in  the  middle  of  August,  1245 
that  King  Fernando  set  out  on  his  grand 
expedition  to  Andalusia,  whence  he  was 
never  to  return.  All  that  autumn  he  pursued  the 
same  destructive  "course  as  in  his  preceding  cam- 
paigns, laying  waste  the  country  with  fire  and 
sword  in  the  vicinity  of  Jaen  and  to  Alcala  la 
Real.  The  town,  too,  of  Illora,  built  on  a  lofty 
rock  and  fancying  itself  secure,  was  captured  and 
given  a  prey  to  flames,  which  was  as  a  bale-fire 
to  the  -country.  Thence  he  descended  into  the 
beautiful  Vega  of  Granada,  ravaging  that  earthly 
paradise.  Aben  Alhamar  sallied  forth  from  Gra- 
nada with  what  forces  he  could  collect,  and  a  bloody 
battle  ensued  about  twelve  miles  from  Granada. 
A  part  of  the  troops  of  Aben  Alhamar  were  hasty 
levies,  inhabitants  of  the  city,  and  but  little  accus- 
tomed to  combat ;  they  lost  courage,  gave  way, 
and  threw  the  better  part  of  the  troops  in  disorder; 
a  retreat  took  place  which  ended  in  a  headlong 
flight,  in  which  there  was  great  carnage. l 
1  Conde,  torn.  iii.  c.  5. 


4C6     CHRONICLE  OF  FERNANDO   THE  SAINT. 

Content  for  the  present  with  the  ravage  ho 
had  made  and  the  victory  he  had  gained,  King 
Fernando  now  drew  off  his  troops  and  repaired  to 
his  frontier  hold  of  Martos,  where  they  might  rest 
after  their  fatigues  in  security. 

Here  he  was  joined  by  Don  Pelayo  Perez  Cor- 
rea,  the  Grand  Master  of  Santiago.  This  valiant 
cavalier,  who  was  as  sage  and  shrewd  in  council 
as  he  was  adroit  and  daring  in  the  field,  had  aided 
the  youthful  Prince  Alfonso  in  completing  the 
tranquilization  of  Murcia,  and  leaving  him  in  the 
quiet  administration  of  affairs  in  that  kingdom,  had 
since  been  on  a  pious  and  political  mission  to  the 
court  of  Rome.  He  arrived  most  opportunely  at 
Martos,  to  aid  the  king  with  his  counsels,  for  there 
was  none  in  whose  wisdom  and  loyalty  the  king 
had  more  confidence. 

The  grand  master  listened  to  all  the  plans  of 
the  king  for  the  humiliation  of  the  haughty  King 
of  Granada ;  he  then  gravely  but  most  respectfully 
objected  to  the  course  the  king  was  pursuing.  He 
held  the  mere  ravaging  the  country  of  little  ulti- 
mate benefit.  It  harassed  and  irritated,  but  did 
not  destroy  the  enemy,  while  it  fatigued  and  de- 
moralized the  army.  To  conquer  the  country, 
they  must  not  lay  waste  the  field,  but  take  the 
towns  ;  so  long  as  the  Moors  retained  their  strong- 
holds, so  long  they  had  dominion  over  the  land. 
He  advised,  therefore,  as  a  signal  blow  to  the 
power  of  the  Moorish  king,  the  capture  of  the 
city  of  Jaen.  This  was  a  city  of  immense  strength, 
the  bulwark  of  the  kingdom ;  it  was  well  supplied 
with  provisions  and  the  munitions  of  war  ;  strongh 


CHRONICLE   OF  FERNANDO   THE  SAINT.    467 

garrisoned  and  commanded  by  Abu  Omar,  native 
of  Cordova,  a  general  of  cavalry,  and  one  of  the 
bravest  officers  of  Aben  Alhamar.  King  Fer- 
nando had  already  besieged  it  in  vain,  but  the 
reasoning  of  the  grand  master  had  either  con- 
vinced his  reason  or  touched  his  pride.  He  set 
himself  down  before  the  walls  of  Jaen  declaring 
he  would  never  raise  the  siege  until  he  was  mas- 
ter of  the  place.  For  a  long  time  the  siege  was 
carried  on  in  the  depth  of  winter,  in  defiance  of 
rain  and  tempests.  Aben  Alhamar  was  in  despair: 
he  could  not  relieve  the  place ;  he  could  not  again 
venture  on  a  battle  with  the  king  after  his  late  de- 
feat. He  saw  that  Jaen  must  fall,  and  feared  it 
would  be  followed  by  the  fall  of  Granada.  He  was 
a  man  of  ardent  spirit  and  quick  and  generous  im- 
pulses. Taking  a  sudden  resolution,  he  departed 
secretly  for  the  Christian  camp,  and  made  his  way 
to  the  presence  of  King  Fernando.  "  Behold  before 
you,"  said  he,  "  the  King  of  Granada.  Resistance 
I  find  unavailing  ;  I  come,  trusting  to  your  mag- 
nanimity and  good  faith,  to  put  myself  under  your 
protection  and  acknowledge  myself  your  vassal." 
So  sayings,  he  knelt  and  kissed  the  king's  hand  in 
token  of  homage. 

"  King  Fernando,"  say  the  old  chroniclers, 
"  vvas  not  to  be  outdone  in  generosity.  He  raised 
his  late  enemy  from  the  earth,  embraced  him  as 
a  friend,  and  left  him  in  the  sovereignty  of  his  do- 
minions ;  the  good  king,  however,  was  as  politic 
as  he  was  generous.  He  received  Aben  Alhamar 
»8  a  vassal;  conditioned  for  the  delivery  of  Jaeu 


468     CHRONICLE   OF  FERNANDO   THE  8  AWT. 

into  his  bands  ;  for  the  yearly  payment  of  one  half 
of  his  revenues ;  for  his  attendance  at  the  cortea 
us  one  of  the  nobles  of  the  empire,  and  his  aiding 
Castile  in  war  with  a  certain  number  of  horse- 
men." 

In  compliance  with  these  conditions,  Jaen  was 
given  up  to  the  Christian  king,  who  entered  it  in 
triumph  about  the  end  of  February.1  His  first 
care  was  to  repair  in  grand  procession,  bearing 
the  holy  cross,  to  the  principal  mosque,  which 
was  purified  and  sanctified  by  the  Bishop  of  Cor- 
dova, and  erected  into  a  cathedral  and  dedicated 
to  the  most  holy  Virgin  Mary. 

He  remained  some  time  in  Jaen,  giving  repose 
to  his  troops,  regulating  the  affairs  of  this  impor- 
tant place,  disposing  of  houses  and  estates  among 
his  warriors  who  had  most  distinguished  them- 
selves, and  amply  rewarding  the  priests  and  monks 
who  had  aided  him  with  their  prayers. 

As  to  Aben  Alhamar,  he  returned  to  Granada, 
relieved  from  apprehension  of  impending  ruin  to 
his  kingdom,  but  deeply  humiliated  at  having  to 
come  under  the  yoke  of  vassalage.  He  consoled 
himself  by  prosecuting  the  arts  of  peace,  improv- 
ing the  condition  of  his  people,  building  hospitals, 
founding  institutions  of  learning,  and  beautifying 
his  capital  with  those  magnificent  edifices  which 
remain  the  admiration  of  posterity;  for  now  it 
was  that  he  commenced  to  build  the  Alhambra. 

NOTE.  —  There  is  some  dispute  among  historians  as  to  th« 
duration  of  the  siege  and  the  date  of  the  surrender  of  Jaen. 

1  Notaspara  la  I'uAe,  etc.,  p.  562. 


CHRONICLE   OF  FERNANDO    THE  SAINT.    469 

Some  make  the  siege  endure  eight  months,  from  August  intt. 
the  middle  of  April.  The  autheLtic  Agapida  adopts  the  opin- 
ion of  the  author  of  Notas  para  la  Vida  del  Santo  Key,  etc., 
who  makes  the  siege  begin  on  the  31st  December  and  end 
about  26th  February. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

Axataf,  King  of  Seville,  exasperated  at  the  Submission  of  the 
King  of  Granada,  rejects  the  Propositions  of  King  Fer- 
nando for  a  Truce.  —  The  latter  is  encouraged  by  a  Vision 
to  undertake  the  Conquest  of  the  City  of  Seville.  —  Death 
of  Queen  Berenguela  — A  Diplomatic  Marriage. 

|ING  FERNANDO,  having  reduced  the 
fair  kingdom  of  Granada  to  vassalage, 
and  fortified  himself  in  Andalusia  by 
the  possession  of  the  strong  city  of  Jaen,  be- 
thought him  now  of  returning  to  Castile.  There 
was  but  one  Moorish  potentate  in  Spain  whose 
hostilities  he  had  to  fear:  this  was  Axataf,  the 
King  of  Seville.  He  was  the  son  of  Aben  Hud, 
and  succeeded  to  a  portion  of  his  territories. 
Warned  by  the  signal  defeat  of  his  father  at 
Xerez,  he  had  forborne  to  take  the  field  against 
the  Christians,  but  had  spared  no  pains  and  ex- 
pense to  put  the  city  of  Seville  in  the  highest 
state  of  defense ;  strengthening  its  walls  and 
towers,  providing  it  with  munitions  of  war  of  all 
kinds,  and  exercising  his  people  continually  in 
the  use  of  arms.  King  Fernando  was  loth  to 
leave  this  great  frontier  in  its  present  unsettled 
state,  with  such  a  powerful  enemy  in  the  neigh- 
borhood, who  might  take  advantage  of  his  absence 
to  break  into  open  hostility ;  still  it  was  his  poU 


CHRONICLE  OF  FERNANDO   THE  SAINT.    471 

icy  to  let  the  sword  rest  in  the  sheath  until  he 
had  completely  secured  his  new  possessions.  He 
Bought,  therefore,  to  make  a  truce  with  King 
Axataf,  and,  to  enforce  his  propositions,  it  is  said 
he  appeared  with  his  army  before  Seville  in  May, 
1246.1  His  propositions  were  rejected,  as  it 
were,  at  the  very  gate.  It  appears  that  the 
King  of  Seville  was  exasperated  rather  than 
dismayed  by  the  submission  of  the  King  of  Gra- 
nada. He  felt  that  on  himself  depended  the  last 
hope  of  Islamism  in  Spain ;  he  trusted  on  aid 
from  the  coast  of  Barbary,  with  which  his  capital 
had  ready  communication  by  water;  and  he  re- 
solved to  make  a  bold  stand  in  the  cause  of  his 
faith. 

King  Fernando  retired  indignant  from  before 
Seville,  and  repaired  to  Cordova,  with  the  pious 
determination  to  punish  the  obstinacy  and  humble 
the  pride  of  the  infidel,  by  planting  the  standard 
of  the  cross  on  the  walls  of  his  capital.  Seville 
once  in  his  power,  the  rest  of  Andalusia  would 
soon  follow,  and  then  his  triumph  over  the  sect 
of  Mahomet  would  be  complete.  Other  reasons 
may  have  concurred  to  make  him  covet  the  con- 
quest of  Seville.  It  was  a  city  of  great  splendor 
and  wealth,  situated  in  the  midst  of  a  fertile 
country,  in  a  genial  climate,  under  a  benignant 
sky;  and  having  by  its  river,  the  Guadalquivir, 
an  open  highway  for  commerce,  it  was  the  me* 
tropolis  of  all  Morisma  —  a  world  of  wealth  and 
delight  within  itself. 

These  were  sufficient  reasons  for  aiming  at  the 
1  Notaspara  la  Vida  del  Saiiio  Rey,  p.  572. 


472     CHRONICLE   OF  FERNANDO  THE  SAINT. 

conquest  of  this  famous  city,  but  these  were  not 
sufficient  to  satisfy  the  holy  friars  who  have  writ- 
ten the  history  of  this  monarch,  and  who  have 
found  a  reason  more  befitting  his  character  of 
saint.  Accordingly  we  are  told,  by  the  worthy 
Fray  Antonio  Agapida,  that  at  a  time  when  the 
king  was  in  deep  affliction  for  the  death  of  his 
mother,  the  Queen  Berenguela,  and  was  pray- 
ing with  great  fervor,  there  appeared  before  him 
Saint  Isidro,  the  great  Apostle  of  Spain,  who 
had  been  Archbishop  of  Seville  in  old  times, 
before  the  perdition  of  Spain  by  the  Moors.  As 
the  monarch  gazed  in  reverend  wonder  at  the 
vision,  the  saint  laid  on  him  a  solemn  injunction 
to  rescue  from  the  empire  of  Mahomet  his  city 
of  Seville.  *'Que  asi  la  llamo  por  suya  en  la 
patria,  suya  en  la  silla,  y  suya  en  la  proteccion." 
"  Such,"  says  Agapida,  "  was  the  true  reason  why 
this  pious  king  undertook  the  conquest  of  Sev- 
ille ; "  and  in  this  assertion  he  is  supported  by 
many  Spanish  chroniclers ;  and  by  the  traditions 
of  the  Church  —  the  vision  of  San  Isidro  being 
read  to  this  day  among  its  services.1 

The  death  of  Queen  Berenguela,  to  which  we 
have  just  adverted,  happened  some  months  after 
the  conquest  of  Jaen  and  submission  of  Granada. 
The  grief  of  the  king  on  hearing  the  tidings,  we 
are  told,  was  past  description.  For  a  time  it 
quite  overwhelmed  him.  "  Nor  is  it  much  to  be 
marveled  at,"  says  an  old  chronicler ;  "  for  never 
did  monarch  lose  a  mother  so  noble  and  magnani- 
mous in  all  her  actions.  She  was  indeed  accom- 
1  Rodriguez,  Memorias  del  Santo  Rey,  c.  Iviii. 


CHRONICLE  OF  FERNANDO   THE  SAINT.    473 

plished  in  all  things,  an  example  of  every  virtue, 
the  mirror  of  Castile  and  Leon  and  all  Spain,  by 
whose  counsel  and  wisdom  the  affairs  of  many 
kingdoms  were  governed.  This  noble  queen," 
continues  the  chronicler,  "  was  deplored  in  all  the 
cities,  towns,  and  villages  of  Castile  and  Leon ; 
by  all  people,  great  and  small,  but  especially  by 
poor  cavaliers,  to  whom  she  was  ever  a  benefac- 
tress." l 

Another  heavy  lo?s  to  King  Fernando,  about 
this  time,  was  that  of  the  Archbishop  of  Toledo, 
Don  Rodrigo,  the  great  adviser  of  the  king  in  all 
his  expeditions,  and  the  prelate  who  first  preached 
the  grand  crusade  in  Spain.  He  lived  a  life  of 
piety,  activity,  and  zeal,  and  died  full  of  years, 
of  honors,  and  of  riches  —  having  received 
princely  estates  and  vast  revenues  from  the  king 
in  reward  of  his  services  in  the  cause. 

These  private  afflictions  for  a  time  occupied  the 
royal  mind  ;  the  king  was  also  a  little  disturbed 
by  some  rash  proceedings  of  his  son,  the  hereditary 
Prince  Alfonso,  who,  being  left  in  the  government 
of  Murcia,  took  a  notion  of  imitating  his  father 
in  his  conquests,  and  made  an  inroad  into  the 
Moorish  kingdom  of  Valencia,  at  that  time  in  a 
state  of  confusion.  This  brought  on  a  collision 
with  King  Jayme  of  Aragon,  surnamed  the  Con- 
queror, who  had  laid  his  hand  upon  all  Valencia, 
as  his  by  right  of  arms.  There  was  thus  danger 
of  a  rupture  with  Aragon,  and  of  King  Fernando 
having  an  enemy  on  his  back,  while  busied  in  his 
wars  in  Andalusia.  Fortunately  King  Jayme 
1  Cr&nica  del  Rey  Don  Fernando,  c.  XIII. 


474     CHRONICLE  OF  FERNANDO  THE  SAINT. 

had  a  fair  daughter,  the  Princess  Violante ;  and 
the  grave  diplomatists  of  the  two  courts  deter- 
mined that  it  were  better  the  two  children  should 
marry,  than  the  two  fathers  should  fight.  To 
this  arrangement  King  Fernando  and  King  Jayme 
gladly  assented.  They  were  both  of  the  same 
faith ;  both  proud  of  the  name  of  Christian ;  both 
zealous  in  driving  Mahometanism  out  of  Spain, 
and  in  augmenting  their  empires  with  its  spoils. 
The  marriage  was  accordingly  solemnized  in 
Valladolid  in  the  month  of  November  in  this 
same  year ;  and  now  the  saintly  King  Fernando 
turned  his  whole  energies  to  this  great  and  crown- 
ing achievement,  the  conquest  of  Seville,  the  em- 
porium of  Mahometanism  in  Spain. 

Foreseeing,  as  long  as  the  mouth  of  the  Gua- 
dalquivir was  open,  the  city  could  receive  rein- 
forcements and  supplies  from  Africa,  the  king 
held  consultations  with  a  wealthy  man  of  Burgos, 
Ramon  Bonifaz,  or  Boniface,  by  name, — some 
say  a  native  of  France,  —  one  well  experienced 
in  maritime  affairs,  and  capable  of  fitting  out  and 
managing  a  fleet.  This  man  he  constituted  his 
admiral,  and  sent  him  to  Biscay  to  provide  and 
arm  a  fleet  of  ships  and  galleys,  with  which  to 
attack  Seville  by  water,  while  the  king  should  in- 
vest it  by  land. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

Investment  of  Seville.  —  All  Spain  aroused  to  Arms.  —  Sur- 
render of  Alcala  Del  Rio  —  The  Fleet  of  Admiral  Ramon 
Bonifaz  Advances  up  the  Guadalquivir.  —  Don  Pelayo 
Correa,  Master  of  Santiago.  —  His  Valorous  Deeds  and  the 
Miracles  wn.  ught  in  his  Behalf. 

I  HEN  it  was  bruited  abroad  that  King 
Fernando  the  Saint  intended  to  besiege 
the  great  city  of  Seville,  all  Spain  was 
roused  to  arms.  The  masters  of  the  various 
military  and  religious  orders,  the  ricos  hombres, 
the  princes,  cavaliers,  hidalgos,  and  every  one  of 
Castile  and  Leon  capable  of  bearing  arms,  pre- 
pared to  take  the  field.  Many  of  the  nobility  of 
Catalonia  and  Portugal  repaired  to  the  standard 
of  the  king,  as  did  other  cavaliers  of  worth  and 
prowess  from  lands  far  beyond  the  Pyrenees. 

Prelates,  priests,  and  monks  likewise  thronged 
to  the  army,  —  some  to  take  care  of  the  souls  of 
those  who  hazarded  their  lives  in  this  holy  enter- 
prise, others  with  a  zealous  determination  to  grasp 
buckler  and  lance,  and  battle  with  the  arm  of 
flesh  against  the  enemies  of  God  and  the  Church. 

At  the  opening  of  spring  the  assembled  host 
issued  forth  in  shining  array  from  the  gates  of 
Cordova.  After  having  gained  possession  of  Car- 
mona,  and  Lora  and  Alcolea,  and  of  other  neigh- 


476     CHRONICLE  OF  FERNANDO  THE  3AINT. 

boring  places,  —  some  by  voluntary  surrender 
others  by  force  of  arms,  —  the  king  crossed  th« 
Guadalquivir,  with  great  difficulty  and  peril,  and 
made  himself  master  of  several  of  the  most  im- 
portant posts  in  the  neighborhood  of  Seville. 
Among  these  was  Alcala  del  Rio,  a  place  of  great 
consequence,  through  which  passed  all  the  succors 
from  the  mountains  to  the  city.  This  place  was 
bravely  defended  by  Axataf  in  person,  the  com- 
mander of  Seville.  He  remained  in  Alcala  with 
three  hundred  Moorish  cavaliers,  making  frequent 
sallies  upon  the  Christians,  and  effecting  great 
slaughter.  At  length  he  beheld  all  the  country 
around  laid  waste,  the  grain  burnt  or  trampled 
down,  the  vineyards  torn  up,  the  cattle  driven 
away  and  the  villages  consumed ;  so  that  nothing 
remained  to  give  sustenance  to  the  garrison  or 
the  inhabitants.  Not  daring  to  linger  there  any 
longer,  he  departed  secretly  in  the  night  and  re- 
tired to  Seville,  and  the  town  surrendered  to  King 
Fernando. 

While  the  king  was  putting  Alcala  del  Rio  in 
a  state  of  defense,  Admiral  Ramon  Bonifaz  ar- 
rived at  the  mouth  of  the  Guadalquivir  with  a 
fleet  of  thirteen  large  ships  and  several  small 
vessels  and  galleys.  While  he  was  yet  hovering 
about  the  land,  he  heard  of  the  approach  of  a 
great  force  of  ships  from  Tangier,  Ceuta,  and 
Seville,  and  of  an  army  to  assail  him  from  the 
shores.  In  this  peril  he  sent  in  all  speed  for 
succor  to  the  king ;  when  it  reached  the  sea-coast 
the  enemy  had  not  yet  appeared  ;  wherefore,  think- 
ing it  a  false  alarm,  the  reinforcement  returned 


CHRONICLE  OF  FERNANDO   THE  SAINT.    477 

lo  the  camp.  Scarcely,  however,  had  it  departed 
when  the  Africans  came  swarming  over  the  sea, 
and  fell  upon  Ramon  Bonifaz  with  a  greatly 
superior  force.  The  admiral,  in  no  way  dismayed, 
defended  himself  vigorously  —  sunk  several  of 
the  enemy,  took  a  few  prizes,  and  put  the  rest  to 
flight,  remaining  master  of  the  river.  The  king 
had  heard  of  the  peril  of  the  fleet,  and,  crossing 
the  ford  of  the  river,  had  hastened  to  its  aid ;  but 
when  he  came  to  the  sea- coast,  he  found  it  vic- 
torious, at  which  he  was  greatly  rejoiced,  and 
commanded  that  it  should  advance  higher  up  the 
river. 

It  was  on  the  twentieth  of  the  month  of  Au- 
gust that  King  Fernando  began  formally  the 
siege  of  Seville,  having  encamped  his  troops, 
small  in  number,  but  of  stout  hearts  and  valiant 
hands,  near  to  the  city  on  the  banks  of  the  river. 
From  hence  Don  Pelayo  Correa,  the  valiant 
Master  of  Santiago,  with  two  hundred  and  sixty 
horsemen,  many  of  whom  were  warlike  friars, 
attempted  to  cross  the  river  at  the  ford  below 
Aznal  Farache.  Upon  this,  Aben  Amaken, 
Moorish  king  of  Niebla,  sallied  forth  with  a  great 
host  to  defend  the  pass,  and  the  cavaliers  were 
exposed  to  imminent  peril,  until  the  king  sent 
one  hundred  cavaliers  to  their  aid,  led  on  by 
Rodrigo  Flores  and  Alonzo  Tellez  and  Fernan 
Dianez. 

Thus  reinforced,  the  Master  of  Santiago  scoured 
the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  and  with  his  little 
army  of  scarce  four  hundred  horsemen,  mingled 
monks  and  soldiers,  spread  dismay  throughout 


478     CHRONICLE   OF  FERNANDO   THE  SAINT. 

the  country.  They  attacked  the  town  of  Gelbes, 
and,  after  a  desperate  combat,  entered  it,  sword 
in  hand,  slaying  or  capturing  the  Moors,  and 
making  rich  booty.  They  made  repeated  assaults 
upon  the  castle  of  Triaua,  and  had  bloody  com- 
bats with  its  garrison,  but  could  not  take  the 
place.  This  hardy  band  of  cavaliers  had  pitched 
their  tents  and  formed  their  little  camp  on  the 
banks  of  the  river,  below  the  castle  of  Aznal 
Farache.  This  fortress  was  situated  on  an  emi- 
nence above  the  river,  and  its  massive  ruins,  re- 
maining at  the  present  day,  attest  its  formidable 
strength. 

When  the  Moors  from  the  castle  towers  looked 
down  upon  this  little  camp  of  Christian  cavaliers, 
and  saw  them  sallying  forth  and  careering  about 
the  country,  arid  returning  in  the  evenings  with 
cavalgadas  of  sheep  and  cattle,  and  mules  laden 
with  spoil,  and  long  trains  of  captives,  they  were 
exceedingly  wroth,  and  they  kept  a  watch  upon 
them,  and  sallied  forth  every  day  to  fight  with 
them,  and  to  intercept  stragglers  from  their  camp, 
and  to  carry  off  their  horses.  Then  the  cava- 
liers concerted  together,  and  they  lay  in  ambush 
one  day  in  the  road  by  which  the  Moors  were 
accustomed  to  sally  forth,  and  when  the  Moors 
had  partly  passed  their  ambush,  they  rushed 
forth  and  fell  upon  them,  and  killed  and  captured 
above  three  hundred,  and  pursued  the  remainder 
to  the  very  gates  of  the  castle.  From  that  time 
the  Moors  were  so  disheartened  that  they  made 
no  further  sallies. 

Shortly  after,  the  Master  of  Santiago  receiving 


CHRONICLE  OF  FERNANDO   THE  SAINT.    479 

secret  intelligence  that  a  Moorish  sea-captain  had 
passed  from  Seville  to  Triana,  on  his  way  to  suc- 
cor the  castle  of  Aznal  Farache,  placed  himself, 
with  a  number  of  chosen  cavaliers,  in  ambuscade 
at  a  pass  by  which  the  Moors  were  expected  to 
come.  After  waiting  a  long  time,  their  scouts 
brought  word  that  the  Moors  had  taken  another 
road,  and  were  nearly  at  the  foot  of  the  hill  on 
which  stood  the  castle.  "  Cavaliers,"  cried  the 
master,  "  it  is  not  too  late ;  let  us  first  use  our 
spurs  and  then  our  weapons,  and  if  our  steeds 
prove  good,  the  day  will  yet  be  ours."  So  say- 
ing, he  put  spurs  to  his  horse,  and  the  rest  fol- 
lowing his  example,  they  soon  came  in  sight  of 
the  Moors.  The  latter,  seeing  the  Christians 
coming  after  them  full  speed,  urged  their  horses 
up  the  hill  towards  the  castle,  but  the  Christians 
overtook  them  and  slew  seven  of  those  in  the 
rear.  In  the  skirmish,  Garci  Perez  struck  the 
Moorish  captain  from  his  horse  with  a  blow  of  , 
his  *  lance.  The  Christians  rushed  forward  to 
take  him  prisoner.  On  seeing  this,  the  Moors 
turned  back,  threw  themselves  between  their  com- 
mander and  his  assailants,  and  kept  the  latter  in 
check  while  he  was  conveyed  into  the  castle. 
Several  of  them  fell,  covered  with  wounds ;  the 
residue,  seeing  their  chieftain  safe,  turned  their 
reins  and  galloped  for  the  castle,  just  entering 
in  time  to  have  the  gates  closed  upon  their  pur- 
suers. 

Time  and  space  permit  not  to  recount  the 
many  other  valorous  deeds  of  Don  Pelayo  Cor- 
rea,  the  good  Master  of  Santiago,  and  his  band 


480     CHRONICLE  01  FERNANDO   THE  SAINT. 

of  cavaliers  and  monks.  His  little  camp  became 
H  terror  to  the  neighborhood,  and  checked  the 
sallies  of  the  Moorish  mountaineers  from  the 
Sierra  Morena.  In  one  of  his  enterprises  he 
gained  a  signal  advantage  over  the  foe,  but  the 
approach  of  night  threatened  to  defraud  him  of 
his  victory.  Then  the  pious  warrior  lifted  up 
his  voice  and  supplicated  the  Virgin  Mary  in 
those  celebrated  words  :  "  Santa  Maria  deten  tu 
dia  "  (Holy  Mary,  detain  thy  day),  for  it  was  one 
of  the  days  consecrated  to  the  Virgin.  The 
blessed  Virgin  listened  to  the  prayer  of  her 
valiant  votary ;  the  daylight  continued  in  a  su- 
pernatural manner,  until  the  victory  of  the  good 
Master  of  Santiago  was  completed.  In  honor 
of  this  signal  favor,  he  afterwards  erected  a  tem- 
ple to  the  Virgin  by  the  name  of  Nuestra  Senora 
de  Tentudia.1 

If  any  one  should  doubt  this  miracle,  wrought 
in  favor  of  this  pious  warrior  and  his  soldiers  of 
the  cowl,  it  may  be  sufficient  to  relate  another, 
which  immediately  succeeded,  and  which  shows 
how  peculiarly  he  was  under  the  favor  of  Hea- 
ven. After  the  battle  was  over,  his  followers 
were  ready  to  faint  with  thirst,  and  could  find  no 
stream  or  fountain ;  and  when  the  good  master 
saw  the  distress  of  his  soldiers,  his  heart  was 
touched  with  compassion,  and,  bethinking  himself 
of  the  miracle  performed  by  Moses,  in  an  impulse 
of  holy  zeal  and  confidence,  and  in  the  name  of 
the  blessed  Virgin,  he  struck  a  dry  and  barren 
rock  with  his  lance,  and  instantly  there  gushed 

1  Zuniga,  Annalcs  de  Sevilla,  L.  1. 


CHRONICLE  OF  FERNANDO  THE  SAINT.    481 

forth  a  fountain  of  water,  at  which  all  his  Chrisv 
tian  soldiery  drank  and  were  refreshed.1  So 
much  at  present  for  the  good  Master  of  Santiago, 
Don  Pelayo  Correa. 

1  Jacob  Paranes,  Lib.  de  las  Maestrot  de  St.  lago.     Corona 
,  T.  3,  §  xiii.    Zuniga,  Annak$  de  SeviUa. 


31 


CFIAPTER    XV. 

King  Fernando  changes  his  Camp.  —  Garci  Perez  and  the 
seven  Moors. 

[ING  FERNANDO  the  Saint  soon 
found  his  encampment  on  the  banka 
of  the  Guadalquivir  too  much  exposed 
to  the  sudden  sallies  and  insults  of  the  Moors. 
As  the  land  was  level,  they  easily  scoured  the 
fields,  carried  off  horses  and  stragglers  from  the 
camp,  and  kept  it  in  continual  alarm.  He  drew  off, 
therefore,  to  a  securer  place,  called  Tablada,  the 
same  where  at  present  is  situated  the  hermitage 
of  Nuestra  Senora  de  el  Balme.  Here  he  had 
a  profound  ditch  digged  all  round  the  camp,  to 
shut  up  the  passes  from  the  Moorish  cavalry. 
He  appointed  patrols  of  horsemen  also,  com- 
pletely armed,  who  continually  made  the  rounds 
of  the  camp,  in  successive  bands,  at  all  hours  of 
the  day  and  night.1  In  a  little  while  his  army 
was  increased  by  the  arrival  of  troops  from  all 
parts,  —  nobles,  cavaliers,  and  rich  men,  with 
their  retainers,  —  nor  were  there  wanting  holy 
prelates,  who  assumed  the  warrior,  and  brought 
large  squadrons  of  well-armed  vassals  to  the 
army.  Merchants  and  artificers  now  daily  ar 
i  Corona  Gotica,  T.  3,  §  viii. 


CHRONICLE  OF  FERNANDO   THE  SAINT.    483 

rived,  and  wandering  minstrels,  and  people  of  ali 
sorts,  and  the 'camp  appeared  like  a  warlike  city, 
where  rich  and  sumptuous  merchandise  was 
mingled  with  the  splendor  of  arms ;  and  the 
various  colors  of  the  tents  and  pavilions,  and  the 
fluttering  standards  and  pennons  bearing  the 
painted  devices  of  the  proudest  houses  of  Spain, 
were  gay  and  glorious  to  behold. 

When  the  king  had  established  the  camp  in 
Tablada  he  ordered  that  every  day  the  foragers 
should  sally  forth  in  search  of  provisions  and 
provender,  guarded  by  strong  bodies  of  troops. 
The  various  chiefs  of  the  arrny  took  turns  to 
command  the  guard  who  escorted  the  foragers. 
One  day  it  was  the  turn  of  Garci  Perez,  the 
same  cavalier  who  had  killed  the  king  of  the 
Azules.  He  was  a  hardy,  iron  warrior,  seasoned 
and  scarred  in  warfare,  and  renowned  among 
both  Moors  and  Christians  for  his  great  prowess, 
his  daring  courage,  and  his  coolness  in  the  midst 
of  danger.  Garci  Perez  had  lingered  in  the 
camp  until  some  time  after  the  foragers  had  de- 
parted, who  were  already  out  of  sight.  He  at 
length  set  out  to  join  them,  accompanied  by 
another  cavalier.  They  had  not  proceeded  far 
before  they  perceived  seven  Moorish  genetes,  or 
light-horsemen,  directly  in  their  road.  When  the 
companion  of  Garci  Perez  beheld  such  a  formid- 
able array  of  foes,  he  paused  and  said  :  "  Senor 
Perez,  let  us  return  ;  the  Moors  are  seven  and 
we  but  two,  and  there  is  no  law  in  the  duello 
which  obliges  us  to  make  front  against  such  fear- 
ful odds." 


484     CHRONICLE  OF  FERNANDO  THE  SAINT. 

To  this  Garci  Perez  replied :  "  Senor,  forward, 
always  forward ;  let  us  continue  cai  our  road  ; 
those  Moors  will  never  wait  for  us."  The  other 
cavalier,  however,  exclaimed  such  rashness,  and 
turning  the  reins  of  his  horse,  returned  as  pri- 
vately as  possible  to  the  camp,  and  hastened  to 
his  tent.  * 

All  this  happened  within  sight  of  the  camp. 
The  king  was  at  the  door  of  his  royal  tent, 
which  stood  on  a  rising  ground  and  overlooked 
the  place  where  this  occurred.  When  the  king 
saw  one  cavalier  return  and  the  other  continue, 
notwithstanding  that  there  were  seven  Moors  in 
the  road,  he  ordered  that  some  horsemen  should 
ride  forth  to  his  aid. 

Upon  this  Don  Lorenzo  Xuarez,  who  was  with 
the  king  and  had  seen  Garci  Perez  sally  forth 
from  the  camp,  said :  "  Your  majesty  may  leave 
that  cavalier  to  himself;  that  is  Garci  Perez, 
and  he  has  no  need  of  aid  against  seven  Moors. 
If  the  Moors  know  him  they  will  not  meddle 
with  him  ;  and  if  they  do,  your  majesty  will  see 
what  kind  of  a  cavalier  he  is." 

They  continued  to  watch  the  cavalier,  who 
rode  on  tranquilly  as  if  in  no  apprehension. 
When  he  drew  nigh  to  the  Moors,  who  were 
drawn  up  on  each  side  of  the  road,  he  took 
his  arms  from  his  squire  and  ordered  him  not 
to  separate  from  him.  As  he  was  lacing  his 
morion,  an  embroidered  cap  which  he  wore  on 
his  head  fell  to  the  ground  without  his  per- 
ceiving it.  Having  laced  the  capellina,  he  con- 
tinued on  his  way,  and  his  squire  after  him. 


CHRONICLE  OF  FERNANDO   THE  SAINT.    485 

When  the  Moors  saw  him  near  by  they  knew 
by  his  arms  that  it  was  Garci  Perez,  and  be- 
thinking them  of  his  great  renown  for  terrible 
deeds  in  arms,  they  did  not  dare  to  attack  him, 
but  went  along  the  road  even  with  him,  he  on 
one  side,  they  on  the  other,  making  menaces. 

Garci  Perez  went  on  his  road  with  great 
serenity,  without  making  any  movement.  Wheu 
the  Moors  saw  that  he  heeded  not  their  menaces, 
they  turned  round  and  went  back  to  about  the 
place  where  he  dropped  his  cap. 

Having  arrived  at  some  distance  from  the 
Moors,  he  took  off  his  arms  to  return  them  to 
his  squire,  and  unlacing  the  capellina,  found  that 
the  cap  was  wanting.  He  asked  the  squire 
for  it,  but  the  latter  knew  nothing  about  it.  See- 
ing that  it  had  fallen,  he  again  demanded  his 
arms  of  the  squire  and  returned  in  search  of 
it,  telling  his  squire  to  keep  close  behind  him 
and  look  out  well  for  it.  The  squire  remon- 
strated. "  What,  senor,"  said  he,  "  will  you  re- 
turn and  place  yourself  in  such  great  peril  for 
a  mere  capa  ?  Have  you  not  already  done 
enough  for  your  honor,  in  passing  so  daringly 
by  seven  Moors,  and  have  you  not  been  sin- 
gularly favored  by  fortune  in  escaping  unhurt, 
and  do  you  seek  again  to  tempt  fortune  for  a 
cap?" 

"  Say  no  more,"  replied  Garci  Perez  ;  "  that 
cap  was  worked  for  me  by  a  fair  lady ;  I  hold 
.'t  of  great  value.  Besides,  dost  thou  not  see 
that  I  have  not  a  head  to  be  without  a  cap  ?  " 
alluding  to  the  baldness  of  his  head,  which  had 


486     CHRONICLE   OF  FERNANDO   THE  SAINT. 

no  hair  in  front.  So  saying,  he  tranquilly  re- 
turned towards  the  Moors.  When  Don  Lorenzo 
Xuarez  saw  this,  he  said  to  the  king :  "  Be- 
hold !  your  majesty,  how  Garci  Perez  turns  upon 
the  Moors  ;  since  they  will  not  make  an  attack, 
he  means  to  attack  them.  Now  your  majesty 
will  see  the  noble  valor  of  this  cavalier,  if  the 
Moors  dare  to  await  him."  When  the  Moors 
beheld  Garci  Perez  approaching  they  thought 
he  meant  to  assault  them,  and  drew  off,  not  dar- 
ing to  encounter  him.  When  Don  Lorenzo  saw 
this  he  exclaimed  ,  — 

"  Behold !  your  majesty,  the  truth  of  what  I 
told  you.  These  Moors  dare  not  wait  for  him. 
I  knew  well  the  valor  of  Garci  Perez,  and  it 
appears  the  Moors  are  aware  of  it  likewise/' 

In  the  mean  time  Garci  Perez  came  to  the 
place  where  the  capa  had  fallen,  and  beheld  it 
upon  the  earth.  Then  he  ordered  his  squire 
to  dismount  and  pick  it  up,  and  putting  it  de- 
liberately on  his  head,  he  continued  on  his  way  to 
the  foragers. 

When  he  returned  to  the  camp  from  guarding 
the  foragers,  Don  Lorenzo  asked  him,  in  presence 
of  the  king,  who  was  the  cavalier  who  had  set 
out  with  him  from  the  camp,  but  had  turned 
back  on  sight  of  the  Moors ;  he  replied  that  he 
did  not  know  him,  and  he  was  confused,  for  he 
perceived  that  the  king  had  witnessed  what  had 
passed,  and  he  was  so  modest  withal,  that  he  was 
ever  embarrassed  when  his  deeds  were  praised  in 
his  presence. 

Don  Lorenzo  repeatedly  asked  him  who  was 


CHRONICLE  OF  FERNANDO   THE  SAINT.    487 

the  recreant  cavalier,  but  he  always  replied  that 
he  did  not  know,  although  he  knew  full  well 
and  saw  him  daily  in  the  camp.  But  he  was  too 
generous  to  say  anything  that  should  take  away 
the  fame  of  another,  and  he  charged  his  squire 
that  never,  by  word  or  look,  he  should  betray 
the  secret ;  so  that,  though  inquiries  were  often 
made,  the  name  of  that  cavalier  was  never  dis- 
covered. 


CHAPTER   XVI. 

Of  the  Raft  bu?,t  by  the  Moors,  and  how  it  was  Boarded  by 
Admiral  Bonifaz.  —  Destruction  of  the  Moorish  Fleet.— 
Succor  from  Africa. 

[HILE  the  army  of  King  Fernando  the 
Saint  harassed  the  city  by  land  and  cut 
off  its  supplies,  the  bold  Bonifaz,  with 
his  fleet,  shut  up  the  river,  prevented  all  succor 
from  Africa,  and  menaced  to  attack  the  bridge 
between  Triana  and  Seville,  by  which  the  city 
derived  its  sustenance  from  the  opposite  country. 
The  Moors  saw  their  peril.  If  this  pass  were 
destroyed,  famine  must  be  the  consequence,  and 
the  multitude  of  their  soldiers,  on  which  at  pres- 
ent they  relied  for  safety,  would  then  become  the 
cause  of  their  destruction. 

So  the  Moors  devised  a  machine  by  which  they 
hoped  to  sweep  the  river  and  involve  the  invad- 
ing fleet  in  ruin.  They  made  a  raft  so  wide  that 
it  reached  from  one  bank  to  the  other,  and  they 
placed  all  around  it  pots  and  vessels  filled  with 
resin,  pitch,  tar,  and  other  combustibles,  forming 
what  is  called  Greek  fire,  and  upon  it  was  a  great 
number  of  armed  men  ;  and  on  each  shore  — 
from  the  castle  of  Triana  on  the  one  side,  and 
from  the  city  on  the  other  —  sallied  forth  legions 


CHRONICLE   OF  FERNANDO   THE  SAINT.    489 

of  troops,  to  advance  at  the  same  time  with  the 
raft.  The  raft  was  preceded  by  several  vessels 
well  armed,  to  attack  the  Christian  ships,  while 
the  soldiers  on  the  raft  should  hurl  on  board  their 
pots  of  fire ;  and  at  length,  setting  all  the  com- 
bustibles in  a  blaze,  should  send  the  raft  flaming 
into  the  midst  of  the  hostile  fleet,  and  wrap  it  in 
one  general  conflagration. 

When  everything  was  prepared,  the  Moors  set 
off  by  land  and  water,  confident  of  success.  But 
they  proceeded  in  a  wild,  irregular  manner, 
shouting  and  sounding  drums  and  trumpets,  and 
began  to  attack  the  Christian  ships  fiercely,  but 
without  concert,  hurling  their  pots  of  fire  from  a 
distance,  filling  the  ah*  with  smoke,  but  falling 
short  of  their  enemy.  The  tumultuous  uproar 
of  their  preparations  had  put  all  the  Christians 
on  their  guard.  The  bold  Bonifaz  waited  not  to 
be  assailed ;  he  boarded  the  raft,  attacked  vigor- 
ously its  defenders,  put  many  of  them  to  the 
sword,  and  drove  the  rest  into  the  water,  and 
succeeded  in  extinguishing  the  Greek  fire.  He 
then  encountered  the  ships  of  war,  grappling 
them  and  fighting  hand  to  hand  from  ship  to 
ship.  The  action  was  furious  and  bloody,  and 
lasted  all  the  day.  Many  were  cut  down  in 
flight,  many  fell  into  the  water,  and  many  in 
despair  threw  themselves  in  and  were  drowned. 

The  battle  had  raged  no  less  fiercely  upon  the 
land.  On  the  side  of  Seville,  the  troops  had 
issued  from  the  camp  of  King  Fernando,  while 
on  the  opposite  shore  the  brave  Master  of  San- 
tiago, Don  Pelayo  Perez  Correa,  with  his  war- 


490     CHRONICLE  OF  FERNANDO   THE  SAINT. 

riors  and  fighting  friars,  had  made  sharp  work 
with  the  enemy.  In  this  way  a  triple  batlle  was 
carried  on  ;  there  was  the  rush  of  squadrons,  the 
clash  of  arms,  and  the  din  of  drums  and  trum- 
pets on  either  bank,  while  the  river  was  covered 
with  vessels,  tearing  each  other  to  pieces  as  it 
were,  their  crews  fighting  in  the  midst  of  flames 
and  smoke,  the  waves  red  with  blood  and  filled 
with  the  bodies  of  the  slain.  At  length  the 
Christians  were  victorious ;  most  of  the  enemies' 
vessels  were  taken  or  destroyed,  and  on  either 
shore  the  Moors,  broken  and  discomfited,  fled,  — 
those  on  the  one  side  for  the  gates  of  Seville, 
and  those  on  the  other  for  the  castle  of  Triana, 
—  pursued  with  great  slaughter  by  the  victors. 

Notwithstanding  the  great  destruction  of  their 
fleet,  the  Moors  soon  renewed  their  attempts 
upon  the  ships  of  Ramon  Bonifaz,  for  they  knew 
that  the  salvation  of  the  city  required  the  freedom 
of  the  river.  Succor  arrived  from  Africa,  of 
ships,  with  troops  and  provisions;  they  rebuilt 
the  fire-ships  which  had  been  destroyed,  and  in- 
cessant combats,  feints,  and  stratagems  took  place 
daily,  both  on  land  and  water.  The  admiral 
stood  in  great  dread  of  the  Greek  fire  used  by 
the  Moors.  He  caused  large  stakes  of  wood  to 
be  placed  in  the  river,  to  prevent  the  passage  of 
the  fire-ships.  This  for  some  time  was  of  avail; 
but  the  Moors,  watching  an  opportunity  when 
the  sentinels  were  asleep,  came  and  threw  cables 
round  the  stakes,  and  fastening  the  other  ends  to 
their  vessels,  made  all  sail,  and,  by  the  help  of 
wind  and  oars,  tore  away  the  stakes  and  carried 


CHRONICLE  OF  FERNANDO   THE  SAINT.    491 

them  off  with  shouts  of  triumph.  The  clamor- 
ous exultation  of  the  Moors  betrayed  them. 
The  Admiral  Bonifaz  was  aroused.  With  a  few 
of  the  lightest  of  his  vessels  he  immediately  pur- 
sued the  enemy.  He  came  upon  them  so  sud- 
denly that  they  were  too  much  bewildered  either 
to  fight  or  fly.  Some  threw  themselves  into  the 
waves  in  affright ;  others  attempted  to  make  re- 
sistance and  were  cut  down.  The  admiral  took 
four  barks  laden  with  arms  and  provisions,  and 
witli  these  returned  in  triumph  to  his  fleet.1 

i  Cronica  Gotica,  L.  3,  §  13.    Cronica  General,  pt.  4.    Oo». 
iea  de  Sant)  Rey,  c.  55. 


CHAPTER   XVII. 

Of  the  Stout  Prior,  Ferran  Ruyz,  and  how  he  rescued  hit 
Cattle  from  the  Moors.  —  Further  Enterprises  of  the  Prior, 
and  of  the  Ambuscade  into  which  he  Fell. 

JT  happpened  one  day  that  a  great  part 
of  the  cavaliers  of  the  army  were  absent, 
some  making  cavalgadas  about  the  coun- 
try, others  guarding  the  foragers,  and  others  gone 
to  receive  the  Prince  Alfonso,  who  was  on  his 
way  to  the  camp  from  Murcia.  At  this  time  ten 
Moorish  cavaliers,  of  the  brave  lineage  of  the 
Azules,  finding  the  Christian  camp  but  thinly 
peopled,  came  prowling  about,  seeking  where  they 
might  make  a  bold  inroad.  As  they  were  on  the 
lookout  they  came  to  that  part  of  the  camp  where 
were  the  tents  of  the  stout  Friar  Ferran  Ruyz, 
prior  of  the  hospital.  The  stout  prior,  and  his 
fighting  brethren,  were  as  good  at  foraging  as 
fighting.  Around  their  quarters  there  were 
several  sleek  cows  grazing,  which  they  had  carried 
off  from  the  Moors.  When  the  Azules  saw  these, 
they  thought  to  make  a  good  prize,  and  to  bear 
off  the  prior's  cattle  as  a  trophy.  Careering 
lightly  round,  therefore,  between  the  cattle  and 
the  camp,  they  began  to  drive  them  towards  the 
city.  The  alarm  was  given  in  the  camp,  and  six 
sturdy  friars  sallied  forth,  on  foot,  with  two  cav- 


CHRONICLE  OF  FERNANDO  THE  SAINT.    493 

tillers,  in  pursuit  of  the  marauders.  The  prior 
himself  was  roused  by  the  noise  ;  when  he  heard 
that  the  beeves  of  the  Church  were  in  danger  his 
ire  was  kindled  ;  and  buckling  on  his  armor,  he 
mounted  his  steed  and  galloped  furiously  to  the 
aid  of  his  valiant  friars,  and  the  rescue  of  his 
cattle.  The  Moors  attempted  to  urge  on  the  lag- 
ging and  full-fed  kine,  but  finding  the  enemy  close 
upon  them,  they  were  obliged  to  abandon  their 
spoil  among  the  olive-trees,  and  to  retreat.  The 
prior  then  gave  the  cattle  in  charge  to  a  squire, 
to  drive  them  back  to  the  camp.  He  would  have 
returned  himself,  but  his  friars  had  continued  on 
for  some  distance.  The  stout  prior,  therefore, 
gave  spurs  to  his  horse  and  galloped  beyond  them, 
to  turn  them  back.  Suddenly  great  shouts  and 
cries  arose  before  and  behind  him,  and  an  am- 
buscade of  Moors,  both  horse  and  foot,  came  rush- 
ing out  of  a  ravine.  The  stout  Prior  of  San 
Juan  saw  that  there  was  no  retreat;  and  he  dis- 
dained to  render  himself  a  prisoner.  Commend- 
ing himself  to  his  patron  saint,  and  bracing  his 
shield,  he  charged  bravely  among  the  Moors,  and 
began  to  lay  about  him  with  a  holy  zeal  of  spirit 
and  a  vigorous  arm  of  flesh.  Every  blow  that 
he  gave  was  in  the  name  of  San  Juan,  and  every 
blow  laid  an  infidel  in  the  dust.  His  friars,  see- 
ing the  peril  of  their  leader,  came  running  to  his 
aid,  accompanied  by  a  number  of  cavaliers.  They 
rushed  into  the  fight,  shouting,  "  San  Juan !  San 
Juan ! "  and  began  to  deal  such  sturdy  blows  as 
savored  more  of  the  camp  than  of  the  cloister. 
Great  and  fierce  was  this  struggle  between  cowl 


494     CHRONICLE  OF  FERNANDO   THE  SAINT. 

and  turban.  The  ground  was  strewn  with  bodies 
of  the  infidels ;  but  the  Christians  were  a  mere 
handful  among  a  multitude.  A  burly  friar,  com- 
mander of  Sietefilla,  was  struck  to  the  earth,  and 
his  shaven  head  cleft  by  a  blow  of  a  scimetar  ; 
several  squires  and  cavaliers,  to  the  number  of 
twenty,  fell  covered  with  wounds;  yet  still  the 
stout  prior  and  his  brethren  continued  fighting 
with  desperate  fury,  shouting  incessantly,  "  San 
Juan  !  San  Juan  !  "  and  dealing  their  blows  with 
as  good  heart  as  they  had  ever  dealt  benedictions 
on  their  followers. 

The  noise  of  this  skirmish,  and  the  holy  shouts 
of  the  fighting  friars,  resounded  through  the  camp. 
The  alarm  was  given,  "  The  Prior  of  San  Juan 
is  surrounded  by  the  enemy  !  To  the  rescue !  to 
the  rescue  ! "  The  whole  Christian  host  was  in 
agitation,  but  none  were  so  alert  as  those  holy 
warriors  of  the  Church,  Don  Garcia,  Bishop  of 
Cordova,  and  Don  Sancho,  Bishop  of  Coria. 
Hastily  summoning  their  vassals,  horse  and  foot, 
they  bestrode  their  steeds,  with  cuirass  over  cas- 
sock, and  lance  instead  of  crosier,  and  set  off  at 
full  gallop  to  the  rescue  of  their  brother  saints. 
When  the  Moors  saw  the  warrior  bishops  and 
their  retainers  scouring  to  the  field,  they  gave 
over  the  contest,  and  leaving  the  prior  and  his  com- 
panions, they  drew  off  towards  the  city.  Their 
retreat  was  soon  changed  to  "a  headlong  flight 
for  the  bishops,  not  content  with  rescuing  the 
prior,  continued  in  pursuit  of  his  assailants.  The 
Moorish  foot-soldiers  were  soon  overtaken  and 
either  slaughtered  or  made  prisoners :  nor  di/  the 


CHRONICLE  OF  FERNANDO  THE  SAINT.    495 

horsemen  make  good  their  retreat  into  the  city, 
until  the  powerful  arm  of  the  Church  had  visited 
their  rear  with  pious  vengeance.1  Nor  did  the 
chastisement  of  Heaven  end  here.  The  stout 
prior  of  the  hospital,  being  once  aroused,  was  full 
of  ardor  and  enterprise.  Concerting  with  the 
Prince  Don  Enrique,  and  the  Masters  of  Cala- 
trava  and  Alcantara,  and  the  valiant  Lorenzo 
Xuarez,  they  made  a  sudden  assault  by  night  on 
the  suburb  of  Seville  called  Benaljofar,  and  broke 
their  way  into  it  with  fire  and  sword.  The  Moors 
were  roused  from  their  sleep  by  the  flames  of  their 
dwellings  and  the  shouts  of  the  Christians.  There 
was  hard  and  bloody  fighting.  The  prior  of  the 
hospital,  with  his  valiant  friars,  was  in  the  fiercest 
of  the  action,  and  their  war-cry  of  u  San  Juan  ! 
San  Juan ! "  was  heard  in  all  parts  of  the  suburb. 
Many  houses  were  burnt,  many  sacked,  many 
Moors  slain  or  taken  prisoners,  and  the  Christian 
knights  and  warrior  friars,  having  gathered  to- 
gether a  great  cavalgada  of  the  flocks  and  herds 
which  were  in  the  surburb,  drove  it  off  in  triumph 
to  the  camp,  by  the  light  of  the  blazing  dwellings. 
A  like  inroad  was  made  by  the  prior  and  the 
same  cavaliers,  a  few  nights  afterwards,  into  the 
suburb  called  Macarena,  which  they  laid  waste 
in  like  manner,  bearing  off  wealthy  spoils.  Such 
was  the  pious  vengeance  which  the  Moors  brought 
upon  themselves  by  meddling  with  the  kiue  of 
the  stout  prior  of  the  hospital. 

1  Cronica  General,  pt.  4,  p.  338. 


CHAPTER   XVIII. 

Bravado  of  the  Three  Cavaliers.  —  Ambush  at  the  Bridg* 
over  the  Guadayra.  —  Desperate  Valor  of  Garci  Perez.  — 
Grand  Attempt  of  Admiral  Bonifaz  on  the  Bridge  of  Boats. 
—  Seville  dismembered  from  Triana. 

F  all  the  Christian  cavaliers  who  distin- 
guished themselves  in  this  renowned 
siege  of  Seville,  there  was  none  who 
surpassed  in  valor  the  bold  Garci  Perez  de  Var- 
gas. This  hardy  knight  was  truly  enamored  of 
danger,  and  like  a  gamester  with  Jris  gold,  he 
seemed  to  have  no  pleasure  of  his  life  except  in 
putting  it  in  constant  jeopardy.  One  of  the 
greatest  friends  of  Garci  Perez  was  Don  Lo- 
renzo Xuarez  Gallinato,  the  same  who  had 
boasted  of  the  valor  of  Garci  Perez  at  the  time 
that  he  exposed  himself  to  be  attacked  by  seven 
Moorish  horsemen.  They  were  not  merely  com- 
panions, but  rivals  in  arms ;  for  in  this  siege  it 
was  the  custom  among  the  Christian  knights  to 
vie  with  each  other  in  acts  of  daring  enterprise. 

One  morning,  as  Garci  Perez,  Don  Lorenzo 
Xuarez,  and  a  third  cavalier,  named  Alfonso 
Tello,  were  on  horseback,  patrolling  the  skirts 
of  the  camp,  a  friendly  contest  rose  between 
them  as  to  who  was  most  adventurous  in  arms. 
To  settle  the  question,  it  was  determined  to  put 


CHRONICLE  OF  FERNANDO   THE  SAINT.    497 

the  proof  to  the  Moors,  by  going  alone  and 
striking  the  points  of  their  lances  in  the  gate  of 
the  city. 

No  sooner  was  this  mad  bravado  agreed  upon 
than  they  turned  the  reins  of  their  horses  and 
made  for  Seville.  The  Moorish  sentinels,  from 
the  towers  of  the  gate,  saw  three  Christian 
knights  advancing  over  the  plain,  and  supposed 
them  to  be  messengers  or  deserters  from  the 
army.  When  the  cavaliers  drew  near,  each 
struck  his  lance  against  the  gate,  and  wheeling 
round,  put  spurs  to  his  horse  and  retreated.  The 
Moors,  considering  this  a  scornful  defiance,  were 
violently  exasperated,  and  sallied  forth  in  great 
numbers  to  revenge  the  insult.  They  soon  were 
hard  on  the  traces  of  the  Christian  cavaliers. 
The  first  who  turned  to  fight  with  them  was 
Alfonso  Tello,  being  of  a  fiery  and  impatient 
spirit.  The  second  was  Garci  Perez ;  the  third 
was  Don  Lorenzo,  who  waited  until  the  Moors 
came  up  witli  them,  when  he  braced  his  shield, 
couched  his  lance,  and  took  the  whole  brunt  of 
their  charge.  A  desperate  fight  took  place,  for 
though  the  Moors  were  overwhelming  in  number, 
the  cavaliers  were  three  of  the  most  valiant  war- 
riors in  Spain.  The  conflict  was  beheld  from 
the  camp,  The  alarm  was  given;  the  Christian 
cavaliers  hastened  to  the  rescue  of  their  compan- 
ions in  arms ;  squadron  after  squadron  pressed 
to  the  field,  the  Moors  poured  out  reinforce- 
ments from  the  gate ;  in  this  way  a  general 
buttle  ensued,  which  lasted  a  great  part  of  the 
32 


498     CHRONICLE  OF  FERNANDO  THE  SAINT. 

day,  until  the  Moors  were  vanquished  and  driven 
within  their  walls. 

There  was  one  of  the  gates  of  Seville,  called 
the  gate  of  the  Alcazar,  which  led  out  to  a  small 
bridge  over  the  Guadayra.  Out  of  this  gate  the 
Moors  used  to  make  frequent  sallies,  to  fall  sud- 
denly upon  the  Christian  camp,  or  to  sweep  off 
the  flocks  and  herds  about  its  outskirts,  and  then 
to  scour  back  to  the  bridge,  beyond  which  it  was 
dangerous  to  pursue  them. 

The  defense  of  this  part  of  the  camp  was  in- 
trusted to  those  two  valiant  compeers  in  arms, 
Garci  Perez  de  Vargas  and  Don  Lorenzo 
Xuarez;  and  they  determined  to  take  ample 
revenge  upon  the  Moors  for  all  the  depredations 
they  had  committed.  They  chose,  therefore, 
about  two  hundred  hardy  cavaliers,  the  flower 
of  those  seasoned  warriors  on  the  opposite  side 
of  the  Guadalquivir,  who  formed  the  little  arrny 
of  the  good  Master  of  Santiago.  When  they 
were  all  assembled  together,  Don  Lorenzo  put 
them  in  ambush,  in  the  way  by  which  the  Moors 
were  accustomed  to  pass  in  'their  maraudings,  and 
he  instructed  them,  in  pursuing  the  Moors,  to 
stop  at  the  bridge,  and  by  no  means  to  pass  be- 
yond it ;  for  between  it  and  the  city  there  was  a 
great  host  of  the  enemy,  and  the  bridge  was  so 
narrow  that  to  retreat  over  it  would  be  perilous 
in  the  extreme.  This  order  was  given  to  all, 
but  was  particularly  intended  for  Garci  Perez, 
to  restrain  his  daring  spirit,  which  was  ever  apt 
to  run  into  peril. 

They  had  not  been  long  in  ambush  when   they 


CHRONICLE  OF  FERNANDO  THE  SAINT.    499 

heard  the  distant  tramp  of  the  enemy  upon  the 
bridge,  and  found  that  the  Moors  were  upon  the 
forage.  They  kept  concealed,  and  the  Moors 
passed  by  them  in  careless  and  irregular  manner, 
as  men  apprehending  no  danger.  Scarce  had 
they  gone  by  when  the  cavaliers  rushed  forth, 
charged  into  the  midst  of  them,  and  threw  them, 
all  into  confusion.  Many  were  killed  or  over- 
thrown in  the  shock,  the  rest  took  to  flight,  and 
made  at  full  speed  for  the  bridge.  Most  of  the 
Christian  soldiers,  according  to  orders,  stopped  at 
the  bridge  ;  but  Don  Lorenzo,  with  a  few  of  his 
cavaliers,  followed  the  enemy  half  way  across, 
making  great  havoc  in  that  narrow  pass.  Many 
of  the  Moors,  in  their  panic,  flung  themselves 
from  the  bridge,  and  perished  in  the  Guadayra; 
others  were  cut  down  and  trampled  under  the 
hoofs  of  friends  and  foes.  Don  Lorenzo,  in  the 
heat  of  the  fight,  cried  aloud  incessantly,  defying 
the  Moors,  and  proclaiming  his  name,  —  "  Turn 
hither !  turn  hither !  'Tis  I,  Lorenzo  Xuarez  ! " 
But  few  of  the  Moors  cared  to  look  him  in  the 
face. 

Don  Lorenzo  now  returned  to  his  cavaliers, 
but  on  looking  round,  Garci  Perez  was  not  to  be 
seen.  All  were  dismayed,  fearing  some  evil  for- 
tune had  befallen  him ;  when,  on  casting  their 
eyes  beyond  the  bridge,  they  saw  him  on  the  op- 
posite side,  surrounded  by  Moors  and  fighting 
with  desperate  valor. 

"  Garci  Perez  has  deceived  us,"  said  Don  Lo- 
renzo, "  and  has  passed  the  bridge,  contrary  to 
agreement.  But  to  the  rescue,  comrades !  never 


500     CHRONICLE  OF   FERNANDO   TIfE  SAINT. 

let  it  be  said  that  so  good  a  cavalier  as  Garci 
Perez  was  lost  for  want  of  our  assistance."  So 
saying,  they  all  put  spurs  to  their  horses,  rushed 
again  upon  the  bridge,  and  broke  their  way  across, 
cutting  down  and  overturning  the  Moors,  and 
driving  great  numbers  to  fling  themselves  into 
the  river.  When  the  Moors  who  had  surrounded 
Garci  Perez  saw  this  band  of  cavaliers  rushing 
from  the  bridge,  they  turned  to  defend  them- 
selves. The  contest  was  fierce,  but  broken ; 
many  of  the  Moors  took  refuge  in  the  river,  but 
the  Christians  followed  and  slew  them  among  the 
waves.  They  continued  fighting  for  the  remain- 
der of  the  day,  quite  up  to  the  gate  of  the  Alca- 
zar; and  if  the  chronicles  of  the  times  speak 
with  their  usual  veracity,  full  three  thousand  infi- 
dels bit  the  dust  on  that  occasion.  When  Don 
Lorenzo  returned  to  the  camp,  and  was  in  pres- 
ence of  the  king  and  of  numerous  cavaliers, 
great  encomiums  were  passed  upon  his  valor ; 
but  he  modestly  replied  that  Garci  Perez  had 
that  day  made  them  good  soldiers  by  force. 

From  that  time  forward  the  Moors  attempted 
no  further  inroads  into  the  camp,  so  severe  a 
lesson  had  they  received  from  these  brave  cava- 
liers.1 

The  city  of  Seville  was  connected  with  the 
suburb  of  Triana  by  a  strong  bridge  of  boats, 
fastened  together  by  massive  chains  of  iron.  By 
this  bridge  a  constant  communication  was  kept  up 
between  Triana  and  the  city,  arid  mutual  aid  and 

1  Cronlca  General  de  Espana,  pt.  4.     Croiiica  del  Rey  Fer» 
*ando  el  Santo,  c.  60.     Corona  Gotica,  T.  3,  p.  126. 


CHRONICLE   OF  FERNANDO   THE   SAINT.    50 1 

support  passed  and  repassed.  While  this  bridge 
remained,  it  was  impossible  to  complete  the  in- 
vestment of  the  city,  or  to  capture  the  castle  of 
Triana. 

The  bold  Admiral  Bonifuz  at  length  conceived 
a  plan  to  break  this  bridge  asunder,  and  thus  to 
cut  off  all  communication  between  the  city  and 
Triana.  No  sooner  had  this  idea  entered  his 
mind  than  he  landed,  and  proceeded  with  great 
speed  to  the  royal  tent,  to  lay  it  before  the  king. 
Then  a  consultation  was  summoned  by  the  king 
of  ancient  mariners  and  artificers  of  ships,  and 
other  persons  learned  in  maritime  affairs  ;  and 
after  Admiral  Bonifaz  had  propounded  his  plan, 
it  was  thought  to  be  good,  and  all  preparations 
were  made  to  carry  it  into  effect.  The  admiral 
took  two  of  his  largest  and  strongest  ships,  and 
fortified  them  at  the  prows  with  solid  timber  and 
with  plates  of  iron  ;  and  he  put  within  them  a 
great  number  of  chosen  men,  well  armed  aiid 
provided  with  everything  for  attack  and  defense. 
Of  one  he  took  the  command  himself.  It  was 
the  third  day  of  May,  the  day  of  the  most  Holy 
Cross,  that  he  chose  for  this  grand  and  perilous 
attempt ;  and  the  pious  King  Fernando,  to  insure 
Euccess,  ordered  that  a  cross  should  be  carried  as 
a  standard  at  the  masthead  of  each  ship. 

On  the  third  of  May,  towards  the  hour  of 
noon,  the  two  ships  descended  the  Guadalquivir 
for  some  distance,  to  gain  room  to  come  up  with 
the  greater  violence.  Here  they  waited  the  ris- 
ing of  the  tide,  and  as  soon  as  it  was  in  full  force, 
and  a  favorable  wind  had  sprung  up  from  the 


502     CHRONICLE  OF  FERNANDO  TEE  SAINT. 

sea,  they  hoisted  anchor,  spread  all  sail,  and  put 
themselves  in  the  midst  of  the  current.  The 
whole  shores  were  lined  on  each  side  with  Chris 
tian  troops,  watching  the  event  with  great  anxiety 
The  king  and  the  Prince  Alfonso,  with  their  war- 
riors, on  the  one  side  had  drawn  close  to  the  city 
to  prevent  the  sallying  forth  of  the  Moors,  while 
the  good  Master  of  Santiago,  Don  Pelayo  Perez 
Correa,  kept  watch  upon  the  gates  of  Triana. 
The  Moors  crowded  the  tops  of  their  towers, 
their  walls  and  house-tops,  and  prepared  engines 
and  weapons  of  all  kinds  to  overwhelm  the  ships 
with  destruction. 

Twice  the  bold  admiral  set  all  sail  and  started 
on  his  career,  and  twice  the  wind  died  away  be- 
fore he  had  proceeded  half  his  course.  Shouts 
of  joy  and  derision  rose  from  the  walls  and 
towers  of  Seville,  while  the  warriors  in  the  ships 
began  to  fear  that  their  attempt  would  be  unsuc- 
cessful. At  length  a  fresh  and  strong  wind  arose 
that  swelled  every  sail  and  sent  the  ships  plough' 
ing  up  the  waves  of  the  Guadalquivir.  A  dead 
silence  prevailed  among  the  hosts  on  either  bank, 
even  the  Moors  remained  silent,  in  fixed  and 
breathless  suspense.  When  the  ships  arrived 
within  reach  of  the  walls  of  the  city  and  the  sub- 
urbs, a  tremendous  attack  was  commenced  from 
every  wall  and  tower ;  great  engines  discharged 
stones  and  offensive  weapons  of  all  kinds,  and 
flaming  pots  of  Greek  fire.  On  the  tower  of 
gold  were  stationed  catapults  and  vast  cross- 
bows that  were  worked  with  cranks,  and  from 
Ueuce  an  iron  shower  was  rained  upon  the  ships. 


CHRONICLE  OF  FERNANDO  THE  SAINT.    503 

The  Moors  in  Triana  were  equally  active  ;  from 
every  wall  and  turret,  from  house-tops,  and  from 
the  banks  of  the  river,  an  incessant  assault  was 
kept  up  with  catapults,  cross-bows,  slings,  darts, 
and  everything  that  could  annoy.  Through  all 
this  tempest  of  war,  the  ships  kept  on  their 
course.  The  first  ship  which  arrived  struck  the 
bridge  on  the  part  towards  Triana.  The  shock 
resounded  from  shore  to  shore,  the  whole  fabric 
trembled,  the  ship  recoiled  and  reeled,  but  the 
bridge  was  unbroken ;  and  shouts  of  joy  rose 
from  the  Moors  on  each  side  of  the  river.  Im- 
mediately after  came  the  ship  of  the  admiral. 
It  struck  the  bridge  just  about  the  centre  with  a 
tremendous  crash.  The  iron  chains  which  bound 
the  boats  together  snapped  as  if  they  had  been 
flax.  The  boats  were  crushed  and  shattered  and 
flung  wide  asunder,  and  the  ship  of  the  admiral 
proceeded  in  triumph  through  the  open  space. 
No  sooner  did  the  king  and  the  Prince  Alfonso 
see  the  success  of  the  admiral,  than  they  pressed 
with  their  troops  closely  round  the  city,  and  pre- 
vented the  Moors  from  sallying  forth  ;  while  the 
ships,  having  accomplished  their  enterprise,  extri- 
cated themselves  from  their  dangerous  situation, 
and  returned  in  triumph  to  their  accustomed  an- 
chorage. This  was  the  fatal  blow  that  dismem- 
bered Seville  from  Triana,  and  insured  \he  down* 
fell  of  the  city. 


CHAPTER   XIX. 

Investment  of  Triana.  —  Garci  Perez  and  the  Infanzon. 

|N  the  day  after  the  breaking  of  the 
bridge,  the  king,  the  Prince  Alfonso, 
the  Prince  Enrique,  the  various  masters 
of  the  orders,  and  a  great  part  of  the  army, 
crossed  the  Guadalquivir  and  commenced  an  at- 
tack on  Triana,  while  the  bold  Admiral  Bonifaz 
approached  with  his  ships  and  assaulted  the  place 
from  the  water.  But  the  Christian  army  was 
unprovided  with  ladders  or  machines  for  the 
attack,  and  fought  to  great  disadvantage.  The 
Moors,  from  the  safe  shelter  of  their  walls  and 
towers,  rained  a  shower  of  missiles  of  all  kinds. 
As  they  were  so  high  above  the  Christians,  their 
arrows,  darts,  and  lances  came  with  the  greater 
force.  They  were  skillful  with  the  cross-bow, 
and  had  engines  of  such  force  that  the  darts  which 
they  discharged  would  sometimes  pass  through  a 
cavalier  all  armed,  and  bury  themselves  in  the 
earth.1 

The  very  women  combated  from  the  walls, 
and  hurled  down  stones  that  crushed  the  warriors 
beneath. 

While  the  army  was  closely  investing  Triana, 
and  fierce  encounters  were  daily  taking  place  be« 
1  Cronica  General,  pt .  4,  341. 


CHRONICLE   OF  FERNANDO   THE  SAINT.    506 

tween  Moor  and  Christian,  there  arrived  at  the 
camp  a  youthful  Iiifanzon,  or  noble,  of  proud  lin- 
eage. He  brought  with  him  a  shining  train  of 
vassals,  all  newly  armed  and  appointed,  and  his 
own  armor,  all  fresh  and  lustrous,  showed  none  of 
the  dents  and  bruises  and  abuses  of  the  war. 
As  this  gay  and  gorgeous  cavalier  was  patrolling 
the  camp,  with  several  cavaliers,  he  beheld  Garci 
Perez  pass  by,  in  armor  and  accoutrements  all 
worn  and  soiled  by  the  hard  service  he  had  per- 
formed, and  he  saw  a  similar  device  to  his  own, 
of  white  waves,  emblazoned  on  the  scutcheon  of 
tliis  unknown  warrior.  Then  the  nobleman  was 
highly  ruffled  and  incensed,  and  he  exclaimed, 
"  How  is  this  ?  who  is  this  sorry  cavalier  that 
dares  to  bear  these  devices  ?  By  my  faith,  he 
must  either  give  them  up  or  show  his  reasons  for 
usurping  them. "  The  other  cavaliers  exclaimed, 
"Be  cautious  how  you  speak  ;  this  is  Garci  Pe- 
rez ;  a  braver  cavalier  wears  not  sword  in  Spain. 
For  all  he  goes  thus  modestly  and  quietly  about, 
he  is  a  very  lion  in  the  field,  nor  does  he  assume 
anything  that  he  cannot  well  maintain.  Should 
he  hear  this  which  you  have  said,  trust  us  ho 
would  not  rest  quiet  until  he  had  terrible  satis- 
faction." 

Now  so  it  happened  that  certain  mischief-mak- 
ers carried  word  to  Garci  Perez  of  what  the  no- 
bleman had  said,  expecting  to  see  him  burst  into 
fierce  indignation,  and  defy  the  other  to  the  field. 
But  Garci  Perez  remained  tranquil,  and  said  not 
a  word. 

Within  a  day  or  two  after,  there  was  a  sally 


CHRONICLE  OF  FERNANDO  THE  SAINT. 


from  the  castle  of  Triana  and  a  hot  skirmish  be- 
tween the  Moors  and  Christians  ;  and  Garci  Pe- 
rez and  the  Infanzon,  and  a  number  of  cavaliers, 
pursued  the  Moors  up  to  the  barriers  of  the  castle. 
Here  the  enemy  rallied  and  made  a  fierce  defense, 
and  killed  several  of  the  cavaliers.  But  Garci 
Perez  put  spurs  to  his  horse,  and  couching  his 
lance,  charged  among  the  thickest  of  the  foes,  and 
followed  by  a  handful  of  his  companions,  drove 
the  Moors  to  the  very  gates  of  Triana.  The 
Moors  seeing  how  few  were  their  pursuers  turned 
upon  them,  and  dealt  bravely  with  sword  and 
lance  and  mace,  while  stones  and  darts  and  ar- 
rows were  rained  down  from  the  towers  above 
the  gates.  At  length  the  Moors  took  refuge 
within  the  walls,  leaving  the  field  to  the  victorious 
cavaliers.  Garci  Perez  drew  off  coolly  and  calmly 
amidst  a  shower  of  missiles  from  the  wall.  He 
came  out  of  the  battle  with  his  armor  all  battered 
and  defaced  ;  his  helmet  bruised,  the  crest  broken 
off,  and  his  buckler  so  dented  and  shattered  that 
the  device  could  scarcely  be  perceived.  On  re- 
turning to  the  barrier,  he  found  there  the  Infanzon, 
with  his  armor  all  uninjured,  and  his  armorial 
bearing  as  fresh  as  if  just  emblazoned,  for  the 
vaunting  warrior  had  not  ventured  beyond  the 
barrier.  Then  Garci  Perez  drew  near  to  the  In- 
fanzon, and  eying  him  from  head  to  foot,  "  Senor 
cavalier,"  said  he,  "  you  may  well  dispute  my 
right  to  wear  this  honorable  device  in  my  shield, 
since  you  see  I  take  so  little  care  of  it  that  it  is 
almost  destroyed.  You,  on  the  other  hand,  are 
worthy  of  bearing  it.  You  are  the  guardian  angel 


CHRONICLE  OF  FERNANDO   THE  SAIXT.    507 

Df  honor,  since  you  guard  it  so  carefully  as  to  put 
it  to  no  risk.  I  will  only  observe  to  you  that  the 
sword  kept  in  the  scabbard  rusts,  and  the  valor 
that  is  never  put  to  the  proof  becomes  sullied."  1 

At  these  words  the  Infanzon  was  deeply  hu- 
miliated, for  he  saw  that  Garci  Perez  had  heard 
of  his  empty  speeches,  and  he  felt  how  unworthily 
he  had  spoken  of  so  valiant  and  magnanimous  a 
cavalier.  "  Senor  cavalier,"  said  he,  "  pardon  my 
ignorance  and  presumption  ;  you  alone  are  worthy 
of  bearing  those  arms,  for  you  derive  not  nobility 
from  them,  but  ennoble  them  by  your  glorious 
deeds." 

Then  Garci  Perez  blushed  at  the  praises  he 
had  thus  drawn  upon  himself,  and  he  regretted 
the  harshness  of  his  words  towards  the  Infanzon, 
and  he  not  merely  pardoned  him  all  that  had 
passed,  but  gave  him  his  hand  in  pledge  of  amity, 
and  from  that  time  they  were  close  friends  and 
companions  in  arms.2 

1  Oronica  General,  pt.  4.     Corona  Gotica,  T.  3,  §  16. 

2  Cronica  General,  pt  4.     Cronica  del  Hey  Santo.     Corona 
Gotica,  T.  3,  §  16. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

Capitulation  of  Seville. —  Dispersion  of  the  Moorish  Inhabi- 
tants.—  Triumphant  Entry  of  King  Fernando. 

|  BOUT  this  time  there  arrived  in  .Sev- 
ille a  Moorish  alfaqui,  named  Orias,  with 
a  large  company  of  warriors,  who  came 
to  this  war  as  if  performing  a  pilgrimage,  for  it 
was  considered  a  holy  war  no  less  by  infidels  than 
Christians.  This  Orias  was  of  a  politic  and  crafty 
nature,  and  he  suggested  to  the  commander  of 
Seville  a  stratagem  by  which  they  might  get 
Prince  Alfonso  in  their  power,  and  compel  King 
Fernando  to  raise  the  siege  by  way  of  ransom. 
The  counsel  of  Orias  was  adopted,  after  a  consul, 
tation  with  the  principal  cavaliers,  and  measures 
taken  to  carry  it  into  execution ;  a  Moor  was  sent, 
therefore,  as  if  secretly  and  by  stealth,  to  Prince 
Alfonso,  and  offered  to  put  him  in  possession  of 
two  towers  of  the  wall,  if  he  would  come  in  per- 
son to  receive  them,  which  towers  once  in  his 
possession,  it  would  be  easy  to  overpower  the 
city. 

Prince  Alfonso  listened  to  the  envoy  with  seem- 
ing eagerness,  but  suspected  some  deceit,  and 
thought  it  unwise  to  put  his  person  in  such  jeop- 
ardy. Lest,  however,  there  should  be  truth  in 
bis  proposals,  a  party  of  chosen  cavaliers  were 


CHRONICLE  OF  FERNANDO  THE  SAINT.    509 

sent  as  if  to  take  possession  of  the  towers,  arid 
with  them  was  Don  Pero  Nunez  de  Guzman, 
disguised  as  the  prince. 

When  they  came  to  the  place  where  the  Moors 
had  appointed  to  meet  them,  they  beheld  a  party 
of  infidels,  strongly  armed,  who  advanced  with 
sinister  looks,  and  attempted  to  surround  Dor. 
Nunez,  but  he,  being  on  his  guard,  put  spurs  to 
his  horse,  and,  breaking  through  the  midst  of 
them,  escaped.  His  companions  followed  his  ex- 
ample, all  but  one,  who  was  struck  from  his  horse 
and  cut  to  pieces  by  the  Moors.1 

Just  after  this  event  there  arrived  a  great  re- 
inforcement to  the  camp  from  the  city  of  Cor- 
dova, bringing  provisions  and  various  munitions 
of  war.  Finding  his  army  thus  increased,  the 
king  had  a  consultation  with  Admiral  Bonifaz, 
and  determined  completely  to  cut  off  all  commu- 
nication between  Seville  and  Triana,  for  the 
Moors  still  crossed  the  river  occasionally  by  ford- 
ing. When  they  were  about  to  carry  their  plan 
into  effect,  the  crafty  Alfaqui  Orias  crossed  to 
Triana,  accompanied  by  a  number  of  Ganzules. 
He  was  charged  with  instructions  to  the  garrison, 
and  to  concert  some  mode  of  reuniting  their 
forces,  or  of  effecting  some  blow  upon  the  Chris- 
tian camp  ;  for  unless  they  could  effect  a  union 
and  cooperation,  it  would  be  impossible  to  make 
much  longer  resistance. 

Scarce  had  Orias   passed,  when  the    Christian 
sentinels  gave  notice.     Upon  this,  a  detachment 
of  the   Christian  army    immediately  crossed  and 
l  Cronica  General,  pi.  4,  p.  424. 


510     CHRONICLE  OF  FERNANDO  THE  SAINT. 

took  possession  of  the  opposite  shore,  and  Ad- 
miral Bonifaz  stationed  his  fleet  in  the  middle 
of  the  river.  Thus  the  return  of  Orias  was  pre- 
vented, and  all  intercourse  between  the  places, 
even  by  messenger,  completely  interrupted.  The 
city  and  Triana  were  now  severally  attacked,  and 
unable  to  render  each  other  assistance.  The 
Moors  were  daily  diminishing  in  number  ;  many 
slain  in  battle,  many  taken  captive,  and  many 
dying  of  hunger  and  disease.  The  Christian 
forces  were  daily  augmenting,  and  were  animated 
by  continual  success,  whereas  mutiny  and  sedi- 
tion began  to  break  out  among  the  inhabitants  of 
the  city.  The  Moorish  commander  Axataf,  there- 
fore, seeing  all  further  resistance  vain,  sent  am- 
bassadors to  capitulate  with  King  Fernando.  It 
was  a  hard  and  humiliating  struggle  to  resign 
this  fair  city,  the  queen  of  Andalusia,  the  seat  of 
Moorish  sway  and  splendor,  and  which  had  been 
under  Moorish  domination  ever  since  the  Con- 
quest. 

The  valiant  Axataf  endeavored  to  make  vari- 
ous conditions ;  that  King  Fernando  should  raise 
the  siege  on  receiving  the  tribute  which  had 
hitherto  been  paid  to  the  miramamolin.  This 
being  peremptorily  refused,  he  offered  to  give  up 
a  third  of  the  city,  and  then  half,  building  at  his 
own  cost  a  wall  to  divide  the  Moorish  part  from 
the  Christian.  King  Fernando,  however,  would 
listen  to  no  such  terms.  He  demanded  the  en- 
tire surrender  of  the  place,  with  the  exception  of 
the  persons  and  effects  of  the  inhabitants,  and 
permitting  the  commander  to  retain  possession  of 


CDR  ONI  CLE  OF  FERN  A  ND  0  THE  SAINT     511 

St.  Lucar,  Aznal  Farache,  and  Niebla.  The 
commander  of  Seville  saw  the  sword  suspended 
over  his  head,  and  had  to  submit ;  the  capitula- 
tions of  the  surrender  were  signed,  when  Axataf 
made  one  last  request,  that  he  might  be  .permit- 
ted to  demolish  the  grand  mosque  and  the  prin- 
cipal tower  (or  Giralda)  of  the  city.1  He  felt 
that  these  would  remain  perpetual  monuments 
of  his  disgrace.  The  Prince  Alfonso  was  present 
when  this  last  demand  was  made,  and  his  father 
looked  at  him  significantly,  as  if  he  desired  the 
reply  to  come  from  his  lips.  The  prince  rose  in- 
dignantly and  exclaimed,  that  if  there  should  be 
a  single  tile  missing  from  the  temple  or  a  single 
brick  from  the  tower,  it  should  be  paid  by  so 
many  lives  that  the  streets  of  Seville  should  run 
with  blood.  The  Moors  were  silenced  by  this 
reply,  and  prepared  with  heavy  hearts  to  fulfill 
the  capitulation.  One  month  was  allowed  them 
for  the  purpose,  the  alcazar  or  citadel  of  Seville 
being  given  up  to  the  Christians  as  a  security. 

On  the  twenty-third  day  of  -November  this 
important  fortress  was  surrendered,  after  a  siego 
of  eighteen  months.  A  deputation  of  the  prin- 
cipal Moors  came  forth  and  presented  King  Fer- 
nando with  the  keys  of  the  city ;  at  the  same 
time  the  aljamia,  or  council  of  the  Jews,  pre- 
sented him  with  the  key  of  Jr  wry,  the  quarter  of 
the  city  which  they  inhabited.  This  key  was 
notable  for  its  curious  workmanship.  It  was 
formed  of  all  kinds  of  metals.  The  guards  of 
it  were  wrought  into  letters,  bearing  th«  fol- 
1  Mariana,  L.  13,  r.  7. 


512     CHRONICLE  OF  FERNANDO  THE  SAINT. 

lowing  signification,  —  "  God  will  open  —  the  king 
will  enter."  On  the  ring  was  inscribed  in  Hebrew, 
—  "  The  King  of  kings  will  enter  ;  all  the  world 
will  behold  him."  This  key  is  still  preserved  in 
the  cathedral  of  Seville,  in  the  place  where  re- 
pose the  remains  of  the  sainted  King  Fernando.1 

During  the  month  of  grace  the  Moors  sold 
euch  of  their  effects  as  they  could  not  carry 
with  them,  and  the  king  provided  vessels  for 
euch  as  chose  to  depart  for  Africa.  Upwards 
of  one  hundred  thousand,  it  is  said,  were  thus 
convoyed  by  Admiral  Bonifaz,  while  upwards  of 
two  hundred  thousand  dispersed  themselves 
throughout  such  of  the  territory  of  Andalusia 
as  still  remained  in  possession  of  the  Moors. 

When  the  month  was  expired,  and  the  city 
was  evacuated  by  its  Moorish  inhabitants,  King 
Fernando  the  Saint  entered  in  solemn  triumph, 
in  a  grand  religious  and  military  procession. 
There  were  all  the  captains  and  cavaliers  of 
the  army,  in  shining  armor,  with  the  prelates,  and 
masters  of  the  religious  and  military  order?,  and 
the  nobility  of  Castile,  Leon,  and  Aragon,  in 
their  richest  apparel.  The  streets  resounded 
with  the  swelling  notes  of  martial  music  and 
with  the  joyous  acclamations  of  the  multitude. 

1  In  Castile,  whenever  the  kings  entered  any  place  where 
faere  was  a  synagogue,  the  Jews  assembled  in  council  and 
0aid  to  the  Monteros,  or  bull -fighters,  twelve  maravedis  each, 
to  guard  them,  that  they  should  receive  no  harm  from  the 
*he  Christians;  being  held  in  such  contempt  and  odium,  that 
it  was  necessary  they  should  be  under  the  safeguard  of  th« 
king,  not  to  be  injured  or  insulted.* 

*  Zuniga,  Annaks  de  Scviila. 


CHRONICLE  OF  FERNANDO  THE  SAINT.    513 

In  the  midst  of  the  procession  was  the  venera- 
ble effigy  of  the  most  Holy  Mary,  on  a  triumphal 
car  of  silver,  wrought  with  admirable  skill ;  and 
immediately  after  followed  the  pious  king,  with  a 
drawn  sword  in  his  hand,  and  on  his  left  was 
Prince  Alfonso  and  the  other  princes. 

The  procession  advanced  to  the  principal 
mosque,  which  had  been  purified  and  conse- 
crated as  a  Christian  temple,  where  the  triumphal 
car  of  the  Holy  Virgin  was  placed  at  the  grand 
altar.  Here  the  pious  king  knelt  and  returned 
thanks  to  Heaven  and  the  Virgii  for  this  signal 
victory,  and  all  present  chanted  Te  Deum  Lau- 
damus. 


33 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

Death  of  King  Fernando. 

|  HEN  King  Fernando  had  regulated 
everything  for  the  good  government 
and  prosperity  of  Seville,  he  sallied 
forth  with  his  conquering  army  to  subdue  the 
surrounding  country.  He  soon  brought  under 
subjection  Xerez,  Medina  Sidonia,  Alua,  Bepel, 
and  many  other  places  near  the  sea-coast ;  some 
surrendered  voluntarily,  others  were  taken  by 
force  ;  he  maintained  a  strict  peace  with  his  vas- 
sal the  King  of  Granada,  but  finding  not  suffi- 
cient scope  for  his  arms  in  Spain,  and  being  in- 
flamed with  a  holy  zeal  in  the  cause  of  the  faith, 
he  determined  to  pass  over  into  Africa,  and  re- 
taliate upon  the  Moslems '  their  daring  invasion 
of  his  country.  For  this  purpose  he  ordered  a 
powerful  armada  to  be  prepared  in  the  ports  of 
Cantabria,  to  be  put  under  the  command  of  the 
bold  Admiral  Bonifaz. 

In  the  midst  of  his  preparations,  which  spread 
consternation  throughout  Mauritania,  the  pious 
king  fell  dangerously  ill  at  Seville  of  a  dropsy. 
When  he  found  his  dying  hour  approaching,  lie 
made  his  death-bed  confession,  and  requested  the 
holy  Sacrament  to  be  administered  to  him.  A 
train  of  bishops  and  other  clergy,  among  whoio 


CHRONICLE  OF  FERNANDO   THE  SAINT.    515 

was  his  son  Philip,  Archbishop  of  Seville, 
brought  the  Sacrament  into  his  presence.  The 
king  rose  from  his  bed,  threw  himself  on  his . 
knees,  with  a  rope  round  his  neck  and  a  crucifix 
in  his  hand,  and  poured  forth  his  soul  in  peni- 
tence and  prayer.  Having  received  the  viatica 
and  the  holy  Sacrament,  he  commanded  all  orna- 
ments of  royalty  to  be  taken  from  his  chamber. 
He  assembled  his  children  round  his  bedside,  and 
blessed  his  son  the  Prince  Alfonso,  as  his  first- 
born and  the  heir  of  his  throne,  giving  him  ex- 
cellent advice  for  the  government  of  his  kingdom, 
and  charging  him  to  protect  the  interests  of  his 
brethren.  The  pious  king  afterwards  fell  into  an 
ecstasy  or  trance,  in  which  he  beheld  angels 
watching  round  his  bed  to  bear  his  soul  to  hea- 
ven. He  awoke  from  this  in  a  state  of  heavenly 
rapture,  and,  asking  for  a  candle,  he  took  it  in 
his  hand  and  made  his  ultimate  profession  of  the 
faith.  He  then  requested  the  clergy  present  to 
repeat  the  litanies,  and  to  chant  the  Te  Deum 
Laudamus.  In  chanting  the  first  verse  of  the 
hymn,  the  king  gently  inclined  his  head,  with 
perfect  serenity  of  countenance,  and  rendered  up 
his  spirit.  "  The  hymn,"  says  the  ancient  chron- 
icle, "  which  was  begun  on  earth  by  men,  was 
continued  by  the  voices  of  angels,  which  were 
heard  by  all  present."  These  doubtless  were  the 
angels  which  the  king  in  his  ecstasy  had  beheld 
around  his  couch,  and  which  now  accompanied 
him,  in  his  glorious  ascent  to  heaven,  with  songs 
of  holy  triumph.  Nor  was  it  in  his  chamber 
alone  that  these  voices  were  heard,  but  in  all  the 


516     CHRONICLE   OF  FERNANDO   THE  SAINT. 

royal  alcazars  of  Seville,  the  sweetest  volcea 
were  heard  in  the  air  and  seraphic  music,  as  of 
angelic  choirs,  at  the  moment  that  the  sainted 
king  expired.1  He  died  on  the  30th  of  May, 
the  vespers  of  the  Holy  Trinity,  in  the  year  of 
the  Incarnation  one  thousand  two  hundred  and 
forty-two,  aged  seventy-three  years  —  having 
'reigned  thirty-five  years  over  Castile  and  twenty 
over  Leon. 

Two  days  after  his  death  he  was  interred  in 
his  royal  chapel  in  the  Holy  Church,  in  a  sepul- 
chre of  alabaster,  which  still  remains.  It  is  as- 
serted by  grave  authors  that  at  the  time  of  put- 
ting his  body  in  the  sepulchre,  the  choir  of  angels 
again  was  heard  chanting  his  eulogium,  and  filling 
the  air  with  sweet  melody  in  praise  of  his  vir- 
tues.2 

When  Alhamar,  the  Moorish  king  of  Granada, 
heard  of  his  death,  he  caused  great  demonstra- 
tions of  mourning  to  be  made  throughout  his 
dominions.  During  his  life  he  sent  yearly  a 
number  of  Moors  with  one  hundred  wax  tapers, 
to  assist  at  his  exequies,  which  ceremony  was 
observed  by  his  successors,  until  the  time  of  the 
conquest  of  Granada  by  Fernando  the  Catholic.  a 

1  Pablo  de  Kspmopa,  Grandesas  de  Sevilla,  fol.  146.    Cron- 
ica  del  Santo  Rey,  c.  78.     Corona  Gotica,  T.  3,  p.  166. 

2  Argoti  de   Molina,  Nobleza  de  Andaluzia,  L.  1,  c.  21. 
Tomas  Bocio,  Siynales  de  la  Iglesia,  L.  20.    Don  Kodrigo 
Sanchez,  Bishop  of  Palencia,  pt.  3,  c.  40. 

»  Pablo  de  Espinoea,  fol.  140. 


SPANISH   ROMANCE. 


SPANISH  ROMANCE. 


To  the  Editor  of  "  The  Knickerbocker  "  :  — 

llR,  —  I  have  already  given  you  a  legend 
or  two,  drawn  from  ancient  Spanish 
sources,  and  may  occasionally  give  you 
a  few  more.  I  love  these  old  Spanish  themes, 
especially  when  they  have  a  dash  of  the  Morisco 
in  them,  and  treat  of  the  times  when  the  Mos- 
lems maintained  a  foothold  in  the  peninsula. 
They  have  a  high,  spicy,  oriental  flavor,  not  to 
be  found  in  any  other  themes  that  are  merely 
European.  In  fact,  Spain  is  a  country  that 
stands  alone  in  the  midst  of  Europe  —  severed 
in  habits,  manners,  and  modes  of  thinking  from 
nil  its  continental  neighbors.  It  is  a  romantic 
country ;  but  its  romance  has  none  of  the  senti- 
mentality of  modern  European  romance ;  it  is 
chiefly  derived  from  the  brilliant  regions  of  the 
East,  and  from  the  high-minded  school  of  Sara- 
cenic chivalry. 

The  Arab  invasion  and  conquest  brought  a 
higher  civilization,  and  a  nobler  style  of  thinking 
into  Gothic  Spain.  The  Arabs  were  a  quick- 
witted, sagacious,  proud-spirited,  and  poetical 
people,  and  were  imbued  with  oriental  science 


520  SPANISH  ROMANCE. 

and  literature.  Wherever  they  established  a 
seat  of  power,  it  became  a  rallying-place  for  the 
learned  and  ingenious ;  and  they  softened  and 
refined  the  people  whom  they  conquered.  By 
degrees,  occupancy  seemed  to  give  them  a  hered- 
itary right  to  their  foothold  in  the  land  ;  they 
ceased  to  be  looked  upon  as  invaders,  and  were 
regarded  as  rival  neighbors.  The  peninsula, 
broken  up  into  a  variety  of  states,  both  Christian 
and  Moslem,  became  for  centuries  a  great  cam- 
paigning ground,  where  the  art  of  war  seemed 
to  be  the  principal  business  of  man,  and  was 
carried  to  the  highest  pitch  of  romantic  chivalry. 
The  original  ground  of  hostility,  a  difference  of 
faith,  gradually  lost  its  rancor.  Neighboring 
states,  of  opposite  creeds,  were  occasionally 
linked  together  in  alliances,  offensive  and  defen- 
sive ;  so  that  the  Cross  and  Crescent  were  to  be 
seen  side  by  side,  fighting  against  some  common 
enemy.  In  times  of  peace,  too,  the  noble  youth 
of  either  faith  resorted  to  the  same  cities,  Chris- 
tian or  Moslem,  to  school  themselves  in  military 
science.  Even  in  the  temporary  truces  of  san- 
guinary wars,  the  warriors  who  had  recently 
striven  together  in  the  deadly  conflicts  of  the 
field,  laid  aside  their  animosity,  met  at  tourna- 
ments, jousts,  and  other  military  festivities,  and 
exchanged  the  courtesies  of  gentle  and  generous 
spirits.  Thus  the  opposite  races  became  fre- 
quently mingled  together  in  peaceful  intercourse, 
or  if  any  rivalry  took  place,  it  was  in  those  high 
courtesies  and  nobler  acts  which  bespeak  the  ac- 
complished cavalier.  Warriors  of  opposite  creeds 


SPANISH  ROMANCE.  521 

became  ambitious  of  transcending  each  other  in 
magnanimity  as  well  as  valor.  Indeed,  the  chiv- 
alric  virtues  were  refined  upon  to  a  degree  some- 
times fastidious  and  constrained,  but  at  other 
times  inexpressibly  noble  and  affecting.  The 
annals  of  the  times  teem  with  illustrious  in- 
stances of  high-wrought  courtesy,  romantic  gen- 
erosity, Ipfty  disinterestedness,  and  punctilious 
honor,  that  warm  the  very  soul  to  read  them. 
These  have  furnished  themes  for  national  plays 
and  poems,  or  have  been  celebrated  in  those  all- 
pervading  ballads,  which  are  as  the  life-breath 
of  the  people,  and  thus  have  continued  to  exer- 
cise an  influence  on  the  national  character  which 
centuries  of  vicissitude  and  decline  have  not  been 
able  to  destroy  ;  so  that,  with  all  their  faults,  and 
they  are  many,  the  Spaniards,  even  at  the  present 
day,  are,  on  many  points,  the  most  high-minded 
and  proud-spirited  people  of  Europe.  It  is  true, 
the  romance  of  feeling  derived  from  the  sources 
I  have  mentioned  has.  like  all  other  romance,  its 
affectations  and  extremes.  It  renders  the  Span- 
iard at  times  pompous  and  grandiloquent ;  prone 
to  carry  the  "  pundoner,"  or  point  of  honor,  be- 
yond the  bounds  of  sober  sense  and  sound  moral- 
ity; disposed,  in  the  midst  of  poverty,  to  affect 
the  "grande  caballero,"  and  to  look  down  with 
sovereign  disdain  upon  arts  "  mechanical/'  and  all 
the  gainful  pursuits  of  plebeian  life ;  but  this 
very  inflation  of  spirit,  while  it  fills  his  brain 
with  vapors,  lifts  him  above  a  thousand  mean- 
nesses ;  and  though  it  often  keeps  him  in  indi* 
gence,  ever  protects  him  from  vulgarity. 

In  the  present  day  -when  popular  literature  is 


522  SPANISH  ROMANCE. 

running  into  the  low  levels  of  life,  and  luxuriat- 
ing on  the  vices  and  follies  of  mankind ;  and 
when  the  universal  pursuit  of  gain  is  trampling 
down  the  early  growth  of  poetic  feeling,  and 
wearing  out  the  verdure  of  the  soul,  I  question 
whether  it  would  not  be  of  service  for  the  reader 
occasionally  to  turn  to  these  records  of  prouder 
times  and  loftier  modes  of  thinking,  and  to  steep 
himself  to  the  very  lips  in  old  Spanish  romance. 

For  my  own  part,  1  have  a  shelf  or  two  of 
venerable,  parchment-bound  tomes,  picked  up 
here  and  there  about  the  peninsula,  and  filled 
with  chronicles,  plays,  and  ballads  about  Moors 
and  Christians,  which  I  keep  by  me  as  mental 
tonics,  in  the  same  way  that  a  provident  house- 
wife has  her  cupboard  of  cordials.  Whenever  I 
find  my  mind  brought  below  par,  by  the  common- 
place of  every-day  life,  or  jarred  by  the  sordid 
collisidns  of  the  world,  or  put  out  of  tune  by  the 
shrewd  selfishness  of  modern  utilitarianism,  I 
resort  to  these  venerable  tomes,  as  did  the  worthy 
hero  of  La  Mancha  to  his  books  of  chivalry,  and 
refresh  and  tone  up  my  spirit  by  a  deep  dmuglit 
of  their  contents.  They  have  some  such  effect 
upon  me  as  Falstaff  ascribes  to  a  good  S  hern's 
sack,  "  warming  tke  blood,  and  filling  the  brain 
with  fiery  and  delectable  shapes." 

I  here  subjoin,  Mr.  Editor,  a  small  specimen 
cf  the  cordials  I  have  mentioned,  just  drawn 
from  my  Spanish  cupboard,  which  I  recommend 
to  your  palate.  If  you  find  it  to  your  la&te,  you 
may  pass  it  on  to  your  readers. 

Your  correspondent  and  well-wisher, 

GEOFFREY  CRAYON 


LEGEND  OF  DON  MUNIO  SANCIIO  DE 
HINOJOSA. 


IN  the  cloisters  of  the  ancient  Benedic- 
tine convent  of  San  Domingo,  at  Silos, 
in  Castile,  are  the  mouldering  yet  mag- 
nificent monuments  of  the  once  powerful  and 
chivalrous  family  of  Hinojosa.  Among  these 
reclines  the  marble  figure  of  a  knight,  in  com- 
plete armor,  with  the  hands  pressed  together,  as 
if  in  prayer.  On  one  side  of  his  tomb  is  sculp- 
tured, in  relief,  a  band  of  Christian  cavaliers 
capturing  a  cavalcade  of  male  and  female  Moors  ; 
on  the  other  side,  the  same  cavaliers  are  repre- 
sented kneeling  before  an  altar.  The  tomb,  like 
most  of  the  neighboring  monuments,  is  almost  in 
ruins,  and  the  sculpture  is  nearly  unintelligible, 
excepting  to  the  keen  eye  of  the  antiquary. 
The  story  connected  with  the  sepulchre,  however, 
is  still  preserved  in  the  old  Spanish  chronicles, 
and  is  to  the  following  purport :  — 

In  old  times,  several  hundred  years  ago,  there 
was  a  noble  Castilian  cavalier,  named  Don  Mu- 
nio  Sancho  de  Hinojosa,  lord  of  a  border  castle, 
wJ  ch  had  stood  the  brunt  of  many  a  Moorish 


524  SPANISH  ROMANCE. 

foray.  He  had  seventy  horsemen  as  his  house* 
hold  troops,  all  of  the  ancient  Castilian  proof 
stark  warriors,  hard  riders,  and  men  of  iron. 
with  these  he  scoured  the  Moorish  lands,  and 
made  his  name  terrible  throughout  the  borders. 
His  castle  hall  was  covered  with  banners  and 
scimetars  and  Moslem  helms,  the  trophies  of  his 
prowess.  Don  Munio  was,  moreover,  a  keen 
huntsman  ;  and  rejoiced  in  hounds  of  all  kinds, 
steeds  for  the  chase,  and  hawk's  for  the  towering 
sport  of  falconry.  When  not  engaged  in  war- 
fare, his  delight  was  to  beat  up  the  neighboring 
forests ;  and  scarcely  ever  did  he  ride  forth  with- 
out hound  and  horn,  a  boar-spear  in  his  hand,  or 
a  hawk  upon  his  fist,  and  an  attendant  train  of 
huntsmen. 

His  wife,  Dona  Maria  Palacin,  was  of  a 
gentle  and  timid  nature,  little  fitted  to  be  the 
spouse  of  so  hardy  and  adventurous  a  knight; 
and  many  a  tear  did  the  poor  lady  shed  when  he 
sallied  forth  upon  his  daring  enterprises,  and 
many  a  prayer  did  she  offer  up  for  his  safety. 

As  this  doughty  cavalier  was  one  day  hunting, 
he  stationed  himself  in  a  thicket,  on  the  borders 
of  a  green  glade  of  the  forest,  and  dispersed  his 
followers  to  rouse  the  game  and  drive  it  towards 
his  stand.  He  had  not  been  here  long  when  a 
cavalcade  of  Moors,  of  both  sexes,  came  prank- 
ing over  the  forest  lawn.  They  were  unarmed, 
and  magnificently  dressed  in  robes  of  tissue  and 
embroidery,  rich  shawls  of  India,  bracelets  and 
anklets  of  gold,  and  jewels  that  sparkled  in  the 
Bun. 


SPANISH  ROMANCE.  525 

At  (he  head  of  this  gay  cavalcade  rode  a 
youthful  cavalier,  superior  to  the  rest  in  dignity 
and  loftiness  of  demeanor,  and  in  splendor  of 
attire ;  beside  him  was  a  damsel,  whose  veil, 
blown  aside  by  the  breeze,  displaVed  a  face  of 
surpassing  beauty,  and  eyes  cast  down  in  maiden 
modesty,  yet  beaming  with  tenderness  and  joy. 

Don  Munio  thanked  his  stars  for  sending  him 
such  a  prize,  and  exulted  at  the  thought  of  bear- 
ing home  to  his  wife  the  glittering  spoils  of  these 
infidels.  Putting  his  hunting-horn  to  his  lips,  lie 
gave  a  blast  that  rung  through  the  forest.  His 
huntsmen  came  running  from  all  quarters,  and 
the  astonished  Moors  were  surrounded  and  made 
captives. 

The  beautiful  Moor  wrung  her  hands  in  de- 
spair, and  her  female  attendants  uttered  the  most 
piercing  cries.  The  young  Moorish  cavalier 
alone  retained  self-possession.  He  inquired  the 
name  of  the  Christian  knight  who  commanded 
this  troop  of  horsemen.  When  told  that  it  was 
Don  Munio  Sancho  de  Hinojosa.  his  countenance 
lighted  up.  Approaching  that  -  cavalier,  and 
kissing  his  hand,  "  Don  Munio  Sancho,"  said  he, 
"  I  have  heard  of  your  fame  as  a  true  and  val- 
iant knight,  terrible  in  arms,  but  schooled  in  the 
noble  virtues  of  chivalry.  Such  do  I  trust  to 
find  you.  In  me  you  behold  Abadil,  son  of  a 
Moorish  alcaid.  I  am  on  the  way  to  celebrate 
rny  nuptials  with  this  lady  ;  chance  has  thrown 
us  in  your  power,  but  I  confide  in  your  magna- 
nimity. Take  all  our  treasure  and  jewels ;  de- 
mand what  ransom  you  think  proper  for  our 


526  SPANISH  ROMANCE. 

persons,  but  suffer  us  not  to  be  insulted  or  di* 
honored." 

When  the  good  knight  heard  this  appeal,  and 
beheld  the  beauty  of  the  youthful  pair,  his  heart 
was  touched  with  tenderness  and  courtesy.  "  God 
forbid,"  said  he,  "  that  I  should  disturb  such 
happy  nuptials.  My  prisoners  in  troth  shall  ye 
t>e,  for  fifteen  days,  and  immured  within  my 
ca'stle,  where  I  claim,  as  conqueror,  the  rigiit  of 
celebrating  your  espousals." 

So  saying,  he  dispatched  one  of  his  fleetest 
horsemen  in  advance,  to  notify  Dona  Maria 
Palacin  of  the  coming  of  this  bridal  party ; 
while  he  and  his  huntsmen  escorted  the  caval- 
cade, not  as  captors,  but  as  a  guard  of  honor. 
As  they  drew  near  to  the  castle,  the  banners  were 
hung  out,  and  the  trumpets  sounded  from  the 
battlements ;  and  on  their  nearer  approach,  the 
drawbridge  was  lowered,  and  Dona  Maria  came 
forth  to  meet  them,  attended  by  her  ladies  and 
knights,  her  pages  and  her  minstrels.  She  took 
the  young  bride,  Allifra,  in  her  arms,  kissed  her 
with  the  tenderness  of  a  sister,  and  conducted 
her  into  the  castle.  In  the  mean  time,  Don  Mu- 
nio  sent  forth  missives  in  every  direction,  and 
had  viands  and  dainties  of  all  kinds  collected 
from  the  country  round  ;  and  the  wedding  of  the 
Moorish  lovers  was  celebrated  v/ith  all  possible 
state  and  festivity.  For  fifteen  days  the  castle 
was  given  up  to  joy  and  revelry.  There  were 
tiltings  and  jousts  at  the  ring,  and  bull-fights, 
and  banquets,  and  dances  to  the  sound  of  min- 
strelsy. When  the  fifteen  days  were  at  an  end, 


SPANISH  ROMANCE.  527 

he  made  the  bride  and  bridegroom  magnificent 
presents,  and  conducted  them  and  their  attendants 
safely  beyond  the  borders.  Such,  in  old  times, 
were  the  courtesy  and  generosity  of  a  Spanish 
cavalier. 

Several  years  after  this  event,  the  king  of 
Castile  summoned  his  nobles  to  assist  him  in  a 
campaign  against  the  Moors.  Don  Munio  San- 
cho  was  among  the  first  to  answer  to  the  call, 
with  seventy  horsemen,  all  stanch  and  well-tried 
warriors.  His  wife,  Dona  Maria,  hung  about 
his  neck.  "  Alas,  my  lord ! "  exclaimed  she, 
"  how  often  wilt  thou  tempt  thy  fate,  and  when 
will  thy  thirst  for  glory  be  appeased  ?  " 

"  One  battle  more,"  replied  Don  Munio,  J  one 
battle  more,  for  the  honor  of  Castile,  and  I  here 
make  a  vow  that  when  this  is  over,  I  will  lay  by 
my  sword,  and  repair  with  my  cavaliers  in  pil- 
grimage to  the  Sepulchre  of  our  Lord  at  Jerusa- 
lem." The  cavaliers  all  joined  with  him  in  the 
vow,  and  Dona  Maria  felt  in  some  degree 
soothed  in  spirit ;  still,  she  saw  with  a  heavy 
heart  the  departure  of  her  husband,  and  watched 
his  banner  with  wistful  eyes,  until  it  disappeared 
among  the  trees  of  the  forest. 

The  king  of  Castile  led  his  army  to  the  plains 
ol  Salmanara,  where  they  encountered  the  Moor- 
ish host,  near  to  Ucles.  The  battle  was  long 
and  bloody ;  the  Christians  repeatedly  wavered, 
&nd  were  as  often  rallied  by  the  energy  of  their 
commanders.  Don  Munio  was  covered  with 
wounds,  but  refused  to  leave  the  field.  The 
Christians  at  length  gave  way,  and  the  king  was 
Lardly  pressed,  and  in  danger  of  being  captured. 


528  SPANISH  ROMANCE. 

Don.Munio  called  upon  his  cavaliers  to  follow 
him  to  the  rescue.  "  Now  is  the  time, "  cried  he, 
*  to  prove  your  loyalty.  Fall  to,  like  brave 
men  !  We  fight  for  the  true  faith,  and  if  we  lose 
our  lives  here,  we  gain  a  better  life  hereafter. " 

Rushing  with  his  men  between  the  king  and 
his  pursuers,  they  checked  the  latter  in  their  ca- 
reer, and  gave  time  for  their  monarch  to  escape ; 
but  they  fell  victims  to  their  loyalty.  They  all 
fought  to  the  last  gasp.  Don  Munio  was  singled 
out  by  a  powerful  Moorish  knight,  but  having  been 
wounded  in  the  right  arm,  he  fought  to  disadvan- 
tage, and  was  slain.  The  battle  being  over,  the 
Moor  paused  to  possess  himself  of  the  spoils  of 
this  redoubtable  Christian  warrior.  When  he 
unlaced  the  helmet,  however,  and  beheld  the 
countenance  of  Don  Munio,  he  gave  a  great  cry; 
and  smote  his  breast.  "  Woe  is  me  ?  "  cried  he  , 
"  I  have  slain  my  benefactor !  the  flower  of 
knightly  virtue !  the  most  magnanimous  of  cav- 
aliers ! " 

While  the  battle  had  been  raging  on  the  plain 
of  Salraanara,  Dona  Maria  Palacin  remained  in 
her  castle,  a  prey  to  the  keenest  anxiety.  Her 
eyes  were  ever  fixed  on  the  road  that  led  from 
the  country  of  the  Moors,  and  often  she  asked 
the  watchman  of  the  tower,  "  What  seest  thou  ?  " 

One  evening,  at  the  shadowy  hour  of  twilight, 
the  warden  sounded  his  horn.  "  I  see, "  cried 
he, u  a  numerous  train  winding  up  the  valley. 
There  are  mingled  Moors  and  Christians.  The 
banner  of  my  lord  is  in  the  advance.  Joyful 


SPANISH  ROMANCE.  529 

tidings !  "  exclaimed  the  old  seneschal ;  "  my  lord 
returns  in  triumph,  and  brings  captives  !  "  Then 
the  castle  courts  rang  with  shouts  of  joy ;  and 
the  standard  was  displayed,  and  the  trumpets 
were  sounded,  and  the  drawbridge  was  lowered, 
and  Dona  Maria  went  forth  with  her  ladies,  and 
her  knights,  and  her  pages,  and  her  minstrels,  to 
welcome  her  lord  from  the  wars.  But  as  the 
train  drew  nigh,  she  beheld  a  sumptuous  bier, 
covered  with  black  velvet,  and  on  it  lay  a  war- 
rior, as  if  taking  his  repose  ;  he  lay  in  his  armor, 
with  his  helmet  on  his  head,  and  his  sword  in  his 
hand,  as  one  who  had  never  been  conquered,  and 
around  the  bier  were  the  escutcheons  of  the 
house  of*  Hinojosa. 

A  number  of  Moorish  cavaliers  attended  the 
bier,  with  emblems  of  mourning  and  with  de- 
jected countenances  ;  and  their  leader  cast  himself 
at  the  feet  of  Dona  Maria,  and  hid  his  face  in 
his  hands.  She  beheld  in  him  the  gallant  Abadil, 
whom  she  had  once  welcomed  with  his  bride  to 
her  castle,  but  who  now  came  with  the  body  of 
her  lord,  whom  he  had  unknowingly  slain  in 
battle ! 

The  sepulchre  erected  in  the  cloisters  of  the 
Convent  of  San  Domingo  was  achieved  at  the 
expense  of  the  Moor  Abadil,  as  a  feeble  testi- 
mony of  his  grief  for  the  death  of  the  good 
knight  Don  Munio,  and  his  reverence  for  his 
memory.  The  tender  and  faithful  Dona  Maria 
soon  followed  her  lord  to  the  tomb.  On  one  of 
the  stones  of  a  small  arch,  beside  his  sepulchre, 
34 


530  SPA  .VIS  II  ROMANCE. 

is  the  following  simple  inscription  :  "  Hie  jacei 
Maria  Palacin,  uxor  Munonis  Sancij  De  Hin- 
ojosa :  "  Here  lies  Maria  Palacin,  wife  of  Muiiio 
Sancho  de  Hinojosa. 

The  legend  of  Don  Munio  Sancho  does  not 
conclude  with  his  death.  On  the  same  day 
on  which  the  battle  took  place  on  the  plain 
of  Salmanara,  a  chaplain  of  the  Holy  Temple 
at  Jerusalem,  while  standing  at  the  outer  gate, 
beheld  a  train  of  Christian  cavaliers  advan- 
cing, as  if  in  pilgrimage.  The  chaplain  was  a 
native  of  Spain,  and  as  the  pilgrims  approached, 
he  knew  the  foremost  to  be  Don  Munio  Sancho 
de  Hinojosa,  with  whom  he  had  been  well  ac- 
quainted in  former  times.  Hastening  to  the 
patriarch,  he  told  him  of  the  honorable  rank  of 
the  pilgrims  at  the  gate.  The  patriarch,  there- 
fore, went  forth  with  u  grand  procession  of  priests 
and  monks,  and  received  the  pilgrims  with  all 
due  honor.  There  were  seventy  cavaliers,  beside 
their  leader,  all  stark  and  lofty  warriors.  They 
carried  their  helmets  in  their  hands,  and  their 
faces  were  deadly  pale.  They  greeted  no  one, 
nor  looked  either  to  the  right  or  to  the  left,  but 
entered  the  chapel,  and  kneeling  before  the  Sep- 
ulchre of  our  Saviour,  performed  their  orisons  in 
silence.  When  they  had  concluded,  they  rose  as 
if  to  depart,  and  the  patriarch  and  his  attendants 
advanced  to  speak  to  them,  but  they  were  no 
more  to  be  seen.  Every  one  marveled  what 
could  be  the  meaning  of  this  prodigy.  The 
patriarch  carefully  noted  down  the  day,  and  sent 
to  Castile  to  learn  tidings  of  Don  Munio  Sancho 


SPANISH  ROMANCE.  5Sl 

de  Hinojosa.  He  received  for  reply,  that  on  the 
very  day  specified  that  worthy  knight,  with  sev- 
enty of  his  followers,  had  been  slain  in  battle. 
These,  therefore,  must  have  been  the  blessed 
spirits  of  those  Christian  warriors,  come  to  fulfill 
their  vow  of  a  pilgrimage  to  the  Holy  Sepulchre 
at  Jerusalem.  Such  was  Castilian  faith  in  the 
olden  time,  which  kept  its  word,  even  beyond  the 
grave. 

If  any  one  should  doubt  of  the  miraculous 
apparition  of  these  phantom  knights,  let  him  con- 
sult the  "  Hfstory  of  the  Kings  of  Castile  and 
Leon, "  by  the  learned  and  pious  Fray  Prudencio 
de  Sandoval,  Bishop  of  Pamplona,  where  he  will 
find  it  recorded  in  the  History  of  the  King  Don 
Alonzo  VI.,  on  the  hundred  and  second  page. 
It  is  too  precious  a  legend  to  be  lightly  aban- 
doned to  the  doubter. 


THJE   VND. 


